Broken Road, Part 3
by Tori Bradley
Summary: COMPLETE...The twins are reunited just as Grumm decides to unleash a secret weapon he's been hiding. Will Sky and Ani be able to work together in order to save their squad and family? SkySyd, JackOC
1. Chapter 1

HEY ALL- HERE'S PART 3 OF MY 'BROKEN ROAD' SERIES. I PROMISE QUESTIONS WILL BE ANSWERED, AND A FEW SURPRISES WILL BE THROWN IN.

I DON'T OWN POWER RANGERS, BUT I DO OWN ANIMARIA, COLLIN, & LUCAS MEYERS, ALEC & KATIE COLLINS, & MELANIE EVANS.

THIS STORY IS GOING TO BE SLIGHTLY AU… IT PICKS UP AFTER THE EPISODE 'PERSPECTIVE,' BEFORE THE OMEGA RANGER APPEARS.

ENJOY!

Sky sat in his usual corner of the Rec room; book in hand, watching occasionally as Jack and Z played a holograph game.

It was times like these that he missed his sister… Ani had been away at the Kerova Academy for nearly four years now. He talked to her as frequently as he possibly could, but with her being in another Galaxy, the calls were few and far between.

When he had received his morpher, his heart sank knowing that he wasn't red ranger, but seeing someone else wearing yellow… the color meant for Ani… broke his heart. He missed her more than he would admit, and Syd was really the only person who understood.

Over the years the two of them had grown closer, and after recent events he was seriously considering asking her out on a date…

"You alight in there?"

Sky turned and faced Syd. He placed his book down and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah. I'm fine," he said. "Just thinking."

"About AJ?" she asked softly. She knew how guarded he was and Jack and Z had yet to hear about Sky's personal life. To be honest, she really didn't know that much about his personal life…

"How'd you know?" he asked.

Syd twirled her hair around her finger. "I know that look Sky."

"What look?"

"The one where you space out and ignore everything around you."

"I'm always that way around you," he said smiling.

"Very funny," she replied. "But seriously. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Syd."

"Suit yourself," she said as she stood. She turned to him and sighed. He was so complicated, and yet so simple to figure out.

For some reason she found herself extremely attracted to him. From their first meeting she knew she'd fall for this guy. It had taken a little while, but she knew without a doubt that the hard ass militant blue ranger was it for her.

"I have night watch tonight if you're bored and feel like coming to visit," she said letting out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Sky picked up his book again and glanced over the top of it. "I'll think about it," he said. Syd smiled and turned on her heal, nearly bouncing out of the room. Sky grinned a bit and resumed his reading.

Meanwhile, Cruger was receiving a transmission from KO-35.

"She's on a shuttle right now on her way back," Andros said. "I can honestly say I've never seen someone so focused on a task."

"I understand Andros. Her brother is very much the same way here," the Dog said. "Thank you for your updated report, and we'll send word back as soon as she arrives." They both saluted and Cruger cut the transmission. "Kat?' he called through Command.

Dr. Manx entered, clipboard in hand. "Yes Commander," she said.

"It appears your star pupil is heading back here… I'm thinking of having her take on some of your duties for B-Squad."

Kat grinned. "I think you're up to something Doggie, but I'll trust you for now." Cruger grinned as well as they waited…

Hours later, Jack was walking around down by the shuttle bays doing his nightly rounds. He walked over to the holding bay where their bikes and vehicles were stored and, as he had done many times, walked over to a discarded bike off to the back of the room.

It was fashioned very similarly to Sky's Bike, but there were subtle yellow lines on it, outlining the blue marks. He had asked Sky about it and he had said, 'It belonged to another Cadet.'

That all he ever said about the bike… it was like he was hiding something from him…

A sudden movement behind him caused his alarm to rise. NO ONE entered this room except B-Squad, Cruger, or Kat.

Without a second thought, he spun around, attempting to take his assailant down, but they easily dodged his attack. Jack stood and tried more and more moves, but they were all blocked in the darkened room. Before he knew it, he was sprawled out on his back with the intruder's foot firmly planted on his chest.

"Who are you and what are you doing with my bike?"

Jack's eye instantly widened. Not only was this the 'mystery cadet' Sky was talking about, but also the voice was definitely female.

"Cadet Jack Landors… who are you?" he retorted.

The 'mystery person' took her foot off his chest and Jack thought he saw her raise her hand towards the door. Instantly the lights were turned on and Jack blocked his eyes momentarily.

When he opened them again, he literally felt his breath leave him and his heart jumped into his throat.

He was sitting on the floor and the first thing he saw were toned, slightly tanned legs, leading up to a pair of camouflaged shorts and a black t-shirt stretched across a toned, well formed torso.

The 'mystery cadet,' tossed a long braid of dark blonde hair over her shoulder and Jack saw that she had piercing light eyes, that seemed awkwardly familiar to him… but the rest of her face was, in his opinion, the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

She reached a hand down to him and he took it.

"Well, Cadet, would you mind explaining to me what you were doing with my bike?"

Jack was a bit taken aback by her manner. "Excuse me, but do you have proper clearance to be here?" he asked.

"Yes, I do. Do you have the proper authority to question commanding officers Cadet Landors?"

Jack was getting irritated now. He was Red Ranger… she had no idea what she was getting herself into. "For your information, I'm Red Ranger therefore-"

"Wait," the person said in a bit of shock. "You're… what?"

"Red Ranger, B-Squad," Jack said as he produced his morpher to prove it. "Now I suggest you show some kind of identification of I'll have to take you in for trespassing."

"That will be enough Cadet Landors!" Cruger's voice boomed through the room. Jack and the person both stood at attention as Cruger walked in. "I see you've met the newest member of your squad Jack."

The new person grinned inside. She had been given her new assignment as soon as she stepped off the shuttle, but she wanted to make sure her bike was still there…

"You know this intruder?" Jack asked Cruger.

"She's no intruder Jack," he said calmly. "Meet Lieutenant AJ Tate, Science division."

'Oh shit,' Jack said in his head.

"I suggest you learn to get along before you start training tomorrow. Lieutenant Tate will be joining you for the remainder of the week to get re-acclimated. Is that understood?"

"Yes Sir," Jack said. Cruger saluted them, and they did likewise as he left. AJ walked over to her bike and ran her hand along the smooth seat. She could tell that it had been cleaned and guessed that Sky had done it.

"So," Jack said after a moment. "Tate? Any relation to-"

"Sky… he's my twin," she said softly as she turned back to him. "So… you're Red Ranger? Who are the others?"

"Sky's Blue, Sydney Drew is Pink, Bridge Carson's Green, and Elizabeth Delgado's Yellow."

Her eyes became slightly glazed over as she began walking out with Jack right behind her.

"Did I say something wrong?" he questioned as she walked towards what she remembered to be Sky's room. She reached for the door panel, but an all too familiar feeling came over her…

'_Ani?'_ she heard in her head.

She turned and saw her brother grinning like an idiot. _'Sky!'_ she said back to him. The two siblings ran to each other and embraced.

Syd and Bridge instantly recognized her and their faces broke out into wide smiles. Z walked over to Jack and saw a certain look in his eyes.

"What's going on?" she asked as they both watched the reunion.

"Sky's sister," he said softly, almost dreamily. Z knew THAT look…

"This is going to be interesting," she said…


	2. Chapter 2

Sky sat with Ani in the cafeteria. It was well passed curfew, but Cruger knew they needed to catch up.

They both had been silent for a few moments after they had taken leave of the others. Ani was introduced to Z, and reunited with Syd and Bridge. Sky had reintroduced her to Jack, but she didn't want him to know about their little encounter just yet.

For some reason, when she had entered the room to check out her bike, she felt… something; like a surge of electricity as soon as she entered the darkened room. Then she had turned on the lights and felt her entire body ignite.

Something was happening; fast, and she got the distinct feeling that Sky wouldn't be too happy about it.

It was odd. From the moment Ani arrived on Earth, Sky had sensed her presence in his mind, and he in hers. They knew the other was near, and they had spoken to each other telepathically…

"When did you start drinking coffee?" Sky questioned his sister. Ani took another sip of her drink.

"You try going across the galaxy and having to deal with a time change," she said grinning.

"So how was it, _Lieutenant_?" he said as he cracked a smile. Ani smiled as well. "When did that happen?"

"It happened so quick," she admitted sheepishly. "They had been trying to develop this new morpher that would be compatible with both human DNA and alien DNA."

"And you cracked the code?" sky questioned.

Ani sipped her coffee and nodded her head in agreement. "About a year ago I was just reading and it hit me."

"What were you reading?"

Ani ran her fingers around the rim of her cup. "The story of Animaria," she said softly. Sky closed his eyes and instantly felt the same thing his sister was; sadness. They both missed their father dearly each and every day. He had named them after the place he had fallen in love with their mother… the place where they were conceived…

Sky took a deep breath and felt the chain around his neck growing heavy. He looked up and saw that his twin was holding the dog tag she wore around her neck in her hands.

"But yeah," Ani said, breaking the moment. "I broke the code, began testing, and made a completely new form of technology. I think Andros felt like he owed it to me to promote me."

"That's amazing," Sky said.

"You should see it Sky. We ran the preliminary tests and I was completely blown away by the results."

"Who's going to take it?" he asked.

"I don't know. Ask Cruger, I'm sure he already has his choice made," she said with a hint of disgust.

Sky knew what was troubling her. He felt her instant anger towards Z when he had introduced them. He reached out and took her hand.

"Ani, I know you're mad-"

"Aren't you? All that we worked for; all that we've wanted our whole lives was to be them!"

Sky sighed. He knew all too well what she was going though. "I know how you feel. Believe me."

"Why though? I mean I understand a little that he would give away the yellow one since I wasn't here but you? Why one Earth wouldn't he give you the Red Morpher?"

Sky shook his head. "I'm not exactly sure, but I'm getting used to someone else having it. I know it sounds strange, but in some way I feel better knowing that Jack's in there instead of me."

Ani felt his emotions change and then she understood a little bit better. She squeezed his hand. Sky was nervous… nervous that he would be a failure to their father if he didn't succeed… he also didn't want to suffer the same fate…

"A leader isn't always defined by a color," he said softly. "It took me a long time to realize that… then I talked to mum and she helped a little."

Ani released his hand and sipped her coffee again. "I think she's coming here in a few days. I talked to her last week and told her I was coming home." Sky cast his eyes downward a little. "Sky? How has she been since I've been gone? Last time I talked to Lucky he said she was helping Jen…"

Sky took a deep breath. Since their father's disappearance, Taylor had thrown herself completely into her work. She was still the loving mother to her children that they had always known, but there was a piece of her heart missing, and she had attempted to fill it with her job.

All four kids knew their mum would never fully heal from the hurt she was suffering…

"Mum's taken over responsibility of training new Cadets in Silver hills for SPD and the Guardians. Collin said she's happy, but he still feels her sadness sometimes."

Ani smiled sadly. "And the boys?"

"Collin's interning at Silver Hills General, and Lucky's getting ready to enroll in the Junior Guardians program… Alec and Katie are already in training to be Guardians and Jen's acting Commander right now until Wes figures out what to do with BioLab."

"And Grandpa Alan?" she asked.

"He's alright. Stays at home most of the time… he never really recovered fully from the stroke last year."

Ani sighed. Alan Collins was the closest thing to a grandfather they had ever had. Two years ago, while she had been home for Christmas, he had suffered a stroke. Wes had taken over for his father in his absence and attempted to be Commander of the Guardians, but it was too much at once for him to handle.

"I'll have to go see him sometime," she said.

"I'll go with you," Sky said. He often saw him, but knew Ani would want to see him as well.

Sky sort of drifted off for a moment. "Is there somewhere else you need to be?" she asked grinning.

"Hmm? What?"

"I have the feeling that you want to be somewhere else right now… wouldn't have anything to do with Syd would it?"

Sky turned three shades of red. "Is it that obvious?"

"No, but I'm your sister… not to mention I can feel a little of what you feel."

"I keep forgetting that part," he said. "I kinda told her I'd meet her while she was on night watch."

"Don't let me keep you then!" she said laughing. "You need more fun in your life according to Bridge, but we can talk about that tomorrow."

They both stood and began walking down to Ani's room. Sky stopped in front of her door and they embraced. "It's good to have you back Animaria," he said as they broke away.

"It's good to be back Schuyler," she replied smiling. It had been so long since they had used their full names, but they knew they still needed to be careful. There was no telling who was out there looking for them…


	3. Chapter 3

"Come on guys!" Ani called from the top of the mud course. Sky stood beside her as they watched the others scramble up the rope ladder. Ani had been back for nearly two weeks now and Sky was pleased to have her back with them. They had had their share of aliens to contend with, and Ani had proven herself worthy of B-Squad with the new weapons she made for them.

"This is brutal," Z muttered.

"Tell me about it," Jack said. "She's like a female Sky."

"Technically that's true Jack," Bridge began. "They are twins, even though they're not identical, so AJ's-"

"We get it Bridge," Syd said. She knew all too well what AJ was like. Before she had left they had been close friends much to everyone's surprise… the pop princess and the military science girl.

Sky grinned as he took off over the other side of the course with Ani right behind him. It felt good to be exercising on real turf again. For the past four years she had been in simulations… she actually missed the feeling of mud!

"Come on guys, we're almost there," Sky said.

Moments later they all crossed the finish line and collapsed. They had never done it that fast before.

"Wow," Bridge said. "You haven't lost a step AJ."

Ani grinned and wiped the mud from her face with a towel. She glanced over to Z and couldn't help the stab of jealousy she felt when she saw her yellow SPD t-shirt. Sky could feel the vibes coming from his twin and handed her a water bottle, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry, Bridge," she said. "Did you say something?"

"Just that you haven't lost any since you went to KO-35," the green ranger replied.

Ani grinned. "We had to keep up our physical and mental training," she said.

"Mental training?" Jack asked.

"Kerovan's are masters of telekinesis. They figured it would work well with my powers, so-"

"Powers? You have powers too?" Z asked. Ani rolled her eyes.

"Of course I have powers… Sky does," she replied rudely. Z was about to say something, but Sky interrupted.

"Right," he said quickly. _'Ani, come on… knock it off,' _he said in his head to her.

Ani sighed and raised her hand towards a water bottle. The others watched as it floated over to her. "I can attract things to myself… anything really. Like if something was flying at Syd," she said as she threw a glob of mud at the pink ranger, "I can pull it back away from her." As she said this she pulled the wet dirt through the air, making it land next to her feet.

"They taught me on KO-35 how to channel my powers so I can deflect things."

"Cool," Bridge said. "It all makes sense… Sky deflects, you attract… the whole twin thing."

"I guess you could look at it that way," Sky said.

Ani brushed herself off and made her way back to the academy, leaving the others to catch their breaths.

"What is your sister's problem?" Z asked Sky angrily. "Ever since she's been here she's done nothing but treat Jack, and me in particular, like shit! She may be our commanding officer, but she's a major-"

"Don't go there Z," Syd said as she saw Sky's face twist.

Sky took a deep breath and wiped his face. "If you have a problem with my sister, then I suggest you talk to her… you may be surprised that she's not a total bitch like you all seem to think." He turned and began to walk back to the academy.

Syd saw the look on his face and knew she had to talk to him. "Sky wait!" she cried as she ran after him.

Z wiped her face and groaned. "Seriously Bridge- was she always like this?"

Bridge scratched his head. "Not really. I mean she was always hard working, like Sky was… I'm not really sure what they were like before we met them, but I heard their parents-" Bridge stopped. He wasn't usually the one to retell rumors he had heard…

Jack's ears perked up. "What about their parents?" the red ranger asked.

"Um…" he began. "I'm not really sure… but you guys know their dad was the first red ranger right?" Z and Jack nodded their heads. "Well I heard that their mom was a ranger too…"

It was then that Z was hit with a thought. "You think that their mom was yellow?" she asked. Bridge shrugged his shoulders and took off after Sky and Syd.

Jack placed his arm around Z as they began walking back. "I guess she's having the same issues Sky was having when I got the Red morpher," he said.

"But that still doesn't give her the right to look down on me," Z retorted. "I haven't done anything to make her think that I'm not good enough for it."

"You have to see where she's coming from though."

"Why are you constantly defending her? She's treated you like dirt from the moment she caught you in the vehicle bay."

Jack sighed. He knew why he was defending her… AJ was the first girl he was interested in that seemingly had no interest in him… he knew he's have to work at this and he was more than willing to accept the challenge.

"Wait," Z said suddenly. "You like her don't you?" she said grinning.

"No," he said quickly. "What would make you think that?" He had hoped no one would be able to figure it out, but then again he knew Z could read him like a book.

"Oh… my… God," she said laughing a little. "Sky is going to KILL you!" As soon as the words were out of her mouth she burst out laughing. "Oh man, you need to tell me when you're going to ask her out. I want to be there to see you're last few moments of life."

Jack withdrew his arm from around his best friend. "Just keep your mouth shut Z, please?"

Z wiped the tears from her eyes. "Sure thing. I don't want you being killed just yet… plus I think I need to have a little talk with our good Lieutenant."

The walked back to the academy and were surprised to see Cruger standing with the others waiting.

"Cadets, we have a special guest arriving within the hour. I need you all to change into your dress uniforms and meet me in Command ASAP," he said. They all saluted him and followed orders.

About half an hour later, the rangers and Ani were waiting in Command along with Kat and Cruger.

"Sir? Who's this guest?" Jack inquired.

"A very old friend of mine. She's responsible for helping get SPD off the ground here on Earth," Cruger said.

Ani and Sky gave each other a strange, questioning look, but they were called back to attention when the doors slid open.

"Cadets, I would like to introduce Lieutenant Taylor Meyers," he said.

Ani and Sky fought the urge to address their mother, but they knew they had to keep it low key. Cruger and Kat were the only ones who knew about their family.

"Lieutenant Meyers is a former Air Force Pilot, Silver Guardian, as well as an SPD officer. She'll be here for a few days to observe the training techniques we've been implementing here," Cruger explained.

Taylor held back a gasp when she entered the room. She saw her children in front of her, and saw how much they had changed since she last saw them. She saw their father in both of them, and her decision to come here had not been an easy one.

Lucas had had a vision regarding his two oldest siblings, and it wasn't a good one. She had to warn them…

She surveyed the others as Cruger spoke. Sydney had grown into the beautiful young woman she knew she would, and Bridge had grown about three feet from the last time she saw him.

The other two figures in the room were new faces to her though. The boy in red seemed overly confident in himself by his stance and general demeanor. When she looked at the girl however… something in her mind went off. She looked familiar to her somehow… like they had met before.

"This is Jack Landors," Cruger said, bringing Taylor out of her thoughts. Taylor shook hands with the boy in red and moved on to the girl in yellow.

"Z Delgado." Taylor's mind literally stopped then.

"I'm sorry, did you say you're name was Delgado?" she questioned almost nervously.

"Yes ma'am," Z replied. "Elizabeth Delgado." Taylor shook her hand and was in a bit of a daze as she turned to look at Cruger. He gave her 'a look' and she knew to talk to him later.

She was then introduced to Bridge, Syd, and finally Sky and Ani. She kept a neutral face as she shook her children's hands, and she could tell that they were fighting the same feeling she was.

"Thank you Commander," Taylor said to Cruger. "It's a very fine squad you have here… I would however like to speak to your criminal profiler and science specialist. I had a few questions on the new containment technology."

Cruger knew where Taylor was going with this and nodded his head. "Sky, AJ, please show the Lieutenant to her quarters. You can discuss everything there. Dismissed!"

Everyone saluted and went off…


	4. Chapter 4

Taylor took the offered cup of water from Sky as she sat in the desk chair. Sky took a seat next to Ani on the bed and Taylor just looked at them for a moment.

It had been nearly two years since she had seen them together…

"Mum, you said there was something going on when we were walking down here," Sky said softly. "What happened?"

Taylor took a breath and placed her cup down. "Lucky saw something," she said softly.

"And it had to do with us?" Ani ventured to ask.

Taylor nodded her head. "He said he saw you both fighting an alien along with the other members of B-Squad… the alien opened some sort of portal and you both fell into it…" Taylor hung her head, and tried to stop the flow of tears that were threatening to fall. She wasn't going to let her children disappear…

Ani was up in an instant and wrapped her arms around her mother. She knew, as well as Sky did, that their mother couldn't take it if anything ever happened to them. Taylor wrapped her arms around her only daughter and eldest child.

She had been gone for far too long…

"We'll be fine mama," Ani said softly.

"I know you will be, but I had to come here and warn you," she said as Ani sat back down next to her twin. There was something else she needed to tell them… something that had been eating away at her ever since Grumm resurfaced on Earth…

"Mum? What is it?" Sky asked. "I know you're keeping something else from us, aren't you?"

Taylor took a deep breath. She knew she couldn't hide anything from them. "Grumm," she began. "This isn't the first time you've dealt with him."

Both sets of blue eyes widened. "What?" they both asked together.

"You remember when you were abducted when you were little?" The twins nodded their heads. "Grumm hired someone to take you… in exchange for your father and I putting a stop to SPD here on Earth."

Ani's mouth literally dropped as Sky balled his fists.

"That's why you changed our names," Sky stated. "And why Pop-" he paused and took a deep breath. "Why Pop went on that mission."

Taylor nodded her head slowly and looked at her son in the eye. "We did it to protect you both and your brothers. You know that."

The room fell deathly silent as they all let the enormity of everything sink in. Grumm was the reason their father left… Grumm was the one who made their father never come home that day…

"I'll kill him," Sky said. "With my bare hands for what he's done to us."

Ani placed her hand on his arm. "We can't rush into it Sky," she said calmly.

"That's why I came to warn you," Taylor said. "He doesn't know about you two… no one does. But if for some reason he ever found out who you really were, you all would be in danger."

Little did they know that there was someone listening outside the open window to their entire conversation…

Before long, Ani excused herself to go to bed, hugging her mother goodnight and walking down the hall.

As soon as she left, Taylor brought up something to Sky that had been bothering her ever since her meeting the other cadets.

"Sky, how well do you know Jack and Z?" she asked.

"Well enough," he said simply. He then told her of how they were homeless and how Cruger took them in.

"What happened to their parents?"

"Not sure. Jack said his were missionaries, but Z never said anything."

"I knew Jack's parents a little… his mother was pregnant with him when I was carrying you two." Sky's eyes widened.

"Really? You mean that story Cruger told us about our parents helping SPD-"

"Was completely true," she finished.

"So you knew Z's parents too?"

"I think I did if she's who I think she is."

"Mum?" he questioned.

"Nothing to worry about," she said after a moment. "You should get to bed. I'll be taking over your training tomorrow," she said with a grin.

Sky groaned and Taylor hugged him. "It's good to have you here, even if it is for a little while." He released her and walked down to his room.

Taylor sighed. They were so much like Eric it was scary. They could be calm and gentle one minute, and then out for blood the next. They both had inherited his strong sense of family and pride, and her determination.

She couldn't have been more proud of them. She knew Sky was heartbroken over the fact that he wasn't the Red Ranger, but Taylor had known he was smart enough to wise up about it and do his job.

The current yellow ranger filled her mind again.

There was something about her that Taylor couldn't place, but she knew who could.

Moments later she was standing in Command with Cruger overlooking the city.

"Anubis, I need to see the files on Elizabeth," she said calmly. Cruger turned to her questioningly. "I don't doubt her abilities at all. Quite the opposite. I just… I just need to know something."

Wordlessly, Cruger pulled up a restricted file and typed in the proper access codes. "This is everything I know about Cadet Delgado… she hasn't viewed it," the Dog said.

Taylor looked at the holographic file and read about Z…

Her eyes widened and filled with surprised, happy tears…

'Elizabeth Shay Delgado… Mother: Kendall Williams, deceased, cancer… Father: Daniel Delgado, deceased, car crash…'

Taylor turned to Cruger. "He died before she was born," she reasoned. "I knew she seemed familiar, but… she's really Danny's?" she asked in shock. She had known Kendall passed away a long time ago, but never in her wildest dreams did she think she had a child…

Cruger nodded his head. "I couldn't figure out the right way to tell her or any of you about it."

"I understand," Taylor said. "Kendall probably just wanted to keep her safe because of her powers…"

"Just as you have done with your children." Again, Taylor nodded.

"I'll have to speak with her… she deserves to know about her father… Jack too. His parents were good people." Cruger nodded.

"You should rest. You've had a long trip and a lot to contend with today."

"I will… thank you Anubis." With that, Taylor walked back to her room.

Meanwhile…

"Oh Grumm," Morgana said annoyingly. "I have news for you!"

Grumm sat on his 'throne' and sank onto his left arm. "I'm listening."

"Do the names Animaria and Schuyler Meyers ring any bells?"

Grumm straightened in his seat, obviously interested.

"Well, it appears they're very much alive and right under your nose," she said.

"How did you find this out?" the emperor asked intrigued.

"Broodwing overheard a conversation between Taylor Meyers, the blue ranger, and the new little geek on their team… I'm most certain they're the twins you attempted to destroy."

Grumm curled his fingers around his staff. "This is excellent… almost too perfect."

"Will you attempt to destroy them again for foiling your plan of ridding the universe of SPD?"

Grumm laughed then from deep in his horrible body. "Oh no… I won't destroy them." He motioned towards a side door and a figure emerged, dressed in Black and Red. "I think he should have the honor of doing that."

Morgana sneered. She was wondering when Grumm would release his 'warrior' on the rangers. With this new information he received, she knew it was time…


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: HEY GUYS! SO SORRY FOR THE LONG UPDATE! I HAD TO MOVE RECENTLY AND HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO UPDATE! I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS NEXT CHAPTER, AND FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO GUESSED WHO THE WARRIOR IS… YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE!

Syd fell onto the park bench with Bridge, Z, and Jack following.

A few days had passed since Taylor's arrival and the rangers had been put through the ringer. Sky and AJ were the only ones that seemed to be keeping up with the Lieutenant.

Taylor grinned as she saw her offspring and their teammates. She had been hard on them the last few days. Mainly because she had a feeling Grumm was up to something. There hadn't been an attack...

Sky grinned as he saw Syd dump her water bottle over her head. Her tight ponytail hung limply behind her as she tossed it back.

Ani grinned. She could tell that Sky was in love with her, whether he admitted it or not. She grabbed one of the bottles near Syd and took a swig. She felt a pair of eyes on her and caught Jack staring.

She quickly turned away, but Taylor caught the look the Red Ranger was giving her daughter…

"So Lieutenant, when are you going back to Silver Hills?" Bridge asked suddenly.

"Ready to be rid of me so soon?" Taylor retorted.

"No… what I meant was… when do you plan of heading home? Well, I don't know where you're home is, but-"

Taylor held her hand up. "I understand cadet… I'll be heading home tomorrow." She stopped and looked at Z and Jack. "However, I would like a word with Cadets Landors and Delgado before I leave."

Jack and Z both wondered if they had done anything wrong, but before they could answer, a blast hit the ground near Taylor, sending her flying.

"No!" Sky and Ani shouted at the same time. The others were too busy with the small army of Krybots that appeared to ask what was going on.

The twins ran to their mother and helped her rise. "Are you alright?" Sky asked immediately.

Taylor nodded. "Go. Help your team," she said.

"We're not leaving you!" Ani cried as a Purple beam appeared, revealing Morgana.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" she asked menacingly. "A nice little family reunion? Too bad daddy couldn't make it!"

Sky stood in front of hi mother and sister, holding his morpher at the ready.

'_Ani, get Mum out of here!'_ he shouted to her in his head.

'_I'm not going to leave you here!'_ Ani cried back.

"Just go!" he shouted. Ani angrily obeyed and she and Taylor ran back towards the base.

"Sky!" Syd shouted as Sky went down hard. She ran over to him and helped him to stand, being followed by the others.

"Don't you have anything better to do today?" Z said to Morgana.

"Actually I do… I just wanted confirmation, and thanks to you," she said looking at Sky, "I have it." She disappeared and the others stared at Sky.

"What did she mean by that?" Jack asked.

Sky shook his head as he leaned on Syd slightly for support. "I'll explain when we get back to base…"

About an hour later, Sky was sitting in the Rec room with Ani and the others. Taylor was talking to Cruger and Kat about the information Morgana had received, and now the twins knew they had to come clean with their teammates.

"Alright," Jack began. "Start talking."

Ani glared at Jack. Who the hell was he to tell her what to do? She was his superior officer… and his eyes were hypnotic to her… his face…

Ani mentally shook herself and refocused.

"Morgana said something about a 'family reunion'," Z began. "So what does that make Lieutenant Meyers?"

"Our mother," Ani said at last. "She's our mother." The four faces in the room were skewed a bit as they put things together.

"But your last name is Tate," Jack pointed out.

"Good call," Ani said sarcastically. Jack stared at her… and couldn't look away.

Sky then went into the story of them being abducted, and their parents involvement in SPD from the beginning. He told them everything up until the day his father left them…

"So this whole time… you've been lying to us?" Syd asked Sky.

"It was for protection Syd," Ani explained. "If Grumm found out about who we really were before you guys got your morphers then we'd all be in danger."

"I knew your aura felt familiar," Bridge said. "I recognized you from school all that time ago."

Ani smiled. "Yeah Bridge… you and Syd both," she said.

Syd stood. She was a little taken back by the fact that Sky hadn't told her about any of this. She began to walk out…

"Syd?" Sky asked. "Where-?"

"I just… need to let this sink in ok?" she said gently. Sky accepted this and sank into his chair.

"Anything else we should know?" Jack asked with his arms crossed. He hated secrets. They were supposed to be a team!

"We have two little brothers," Sky said. "Collin and Lucas."

"Do they have powers too?" Bridge asked excitedly.

"Yeah. Collin's empathic and Lucas gets these… visions sometimes." Bridge grinned.

"I think I'd like to meet them sometime… of course, that is if they ever come here, which would be kind of difficult seeing as they don't live here…"

"Bridge!" They all said at once. The Green Ranger stopped and, thankfully, RIC entered and Bridge was occupied with him for the time being.

They all sat in silence for a long time before Z spoke up to Ani. "So the reason you treated me like shit was because you were supposed to be the yellow ranger," she stated.

Ani nodded her head slowly. "Yeah… sorry about that, but you have to understand. I was away for years thinking that I'd come back here and become a ranger like my parents. It was more of a shock than anything."

Z understood a little, but there was something else that was bothering her… Jack too.

"So your mother worked with our parents then?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sky replied. "She and my father did, for a little while."

"And I'd like to speak to the two of you about that," Taylor said as she entered. "Alone please."

Bridge, Ani, and Sky knew that she meant business and they followed orders. Taylor sat across from Jack and Z and couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face.

"Your parents, Jack, were experts in molecular structures… they were two of the nicest people I've ever met. You're mother was carrying you around the same time as I was pregnant with Sky and Ani," she said softly.

"Your mother and I talked about names and pretty much everything else about being pregnant… she was a very good friend and your father was very kind to all of us."

Jack was silent through the little speech. He had never heard any stories about his parents. They left him with a family friend while they went on a trip…

"They told me at the orphanage that my parents had been missionaries," he said.

"They were… for SPD…" Taylor said softly. "After we finished the morphers, we all sort of went on with our lives…"

Jack was at a loss. He would speak to Cruger about this. "Thank you for telling me this," he said as he rose. Both Taylor and Z knew were he was going…

Taylor sat in silence with Z… her teammate's daughter…

"What do you remember Z?" Taylor asked.

For some reason, Z felt extremely comfortable around Taylor…

"I was ten when my mother passed away… there was no family or anything so they sent me to an orphanage… then I ran away and met Jack," she said.

"Did your mother ever tell you about your father?"

"She told me his name was Danny and that he loved flowers and the Earth… he died before I was even born… he never knew me."

Taylor thought she saw tears forming, but Z kept them in. "Kendall never told you about him being a ranger did she?"

Z's head snapped up. Taylor was for real… she really knew her family…

"He… he was a ranger?" she asked nervously.

"One of the best… he was the Black ranger on my team… the Wildforce Team."

The tears formed and fell from Z's eyes. No one had ever told her much about her father, now there was someone who could tell her whatever she wanted… she had a family again…

From high in space, Grumm's 'warrior' watched the scene from the park over and over again…

Something about the three people Morgana attacked seemed familiar to him… but how?


	6. Chapter 6

Jack was fuming.

He KNEW there was a reason he was weary of SPD at first, but he couldn't exactly place it… but now he knew.

After talking with Taylor he had immediately confronted Cruger on the issue.

He had been told that his parents went on a peacekeeping mission to another galaxy where they had been killed in a crossfire between two rebel groups…

He wanted to scream, kick, and destroy everything in his path. He wanted to cry out to the world at how cruel it was, but he couldn't find the strength to.

Wandering, he found himself outside by a small pond just outside the academy. It was late and there was seemingly no one else around.

He looked up at the vast amount of stars…

"FUCK!" he screamed as loud as he could. He picked up a rock and threw it into the lake breathing heavily as tears for the first time in years threatened to fall.

It wasn't fair… none of it was. It wasn't fair that his parents left him and died… wasn't fair that he had been placed in foster care… wasn't fair that he had to run away to survive…

He sank to his knees and placed his head in his hands. He picked up another rock and threw it as far as he could, but he didn't hear it hit the water…

Moments later he felt the presence of someone behind him and saw Ani walking towards him with the rock he had thrown in her hand.

"Go away AJ," he said as he rose and began to walk away.

Ani followed him though. She had also been out by the pond, collecting her thoughts after everything that had happened.

"I just wanted to let you know that I know how you feel," she said softly.

At that Jack stopped and turned around, walking back towards her with anger clearly written on his face.

"You don't know shit about how I feel," he said angrily.

Ani stepped closer to him with equal anger clearly shown. "You better believe I know what it's like to lose a parent. My father's gone too!"

"My parents went off for fucking SPD. How can I work for something that destroyed them?"

Ani and Sky had said their father disappeared after a mission, but hadn't gone into detail…

"My father went for SPD too Jack! If you'd just shut up for five fucking seconds you'd know that you're not the only one questioning themselves!"

Jack went silent then. Something in him snapped and he reached out for her, pulling her to him fiercely, kissing her with everything he had.

Ani's mind went blank and she did the only thing she could… she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer.

Everything in that moment was forgotten… no more anger or sadness… it was just…

Jack pulled away abruptly and released her. He never did anything like that, and he guessed from her expression that she didn't either.

After a long pause Ani snapped back to herself. She walked to him and handed him the rock she had used her powers to retrieve.

Jack stared into her clear blue eyes and instantly knew in that moment that he wanted to look in them forever… Ani too felt a warm feeling surge through her as she looked into the dark eyes of the Red Ranger.

She tucked a small braid behind his ear and walked back towards the academy… leaving both of them in a daze…

Meanwhile, Syd was sitting on the roof of the SPD Academy with her mind spinning.

Sky was supposed to be her friend… AJ too… they had kept secrets from her, and friends didn't do that.

Of course she understood why they had to do the things they did, but she thought that maybe Sky would trust her enough. She had hoped that maybe he thought of her as more than a friend, but that was hoping too much.

Why would Sky be interested in a spoiled princess?

For the same reason she was interested in him… they were opposites, but very much the same. They both loved what they did and had a mutual respect for each other… not to mention the fact that they knew each other inside and out.

And that's how Sky knew where to find her.

It was a very little known place where Syd would go. She told him about it right after AJ had left.

Sure enough, as soon as he stepped through the door to the roof, he made out the petite figure of Syd with her legs dangling over the edge of the building.

Syd heard the door close and knew instantly it was Sky. No one else knew about this place, and he had been the only one she confided in…

He walked over and took a seat next to her. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments.

"My Uncle Wes used to sit up on the roof with my Aunt Jen whenever ranger stuff got to be too much," he said suddenly. "They kind of stepped in after my father left."

Syd understood then that Sky was trying to make amends with her by telling her everything she wanted to know.

"My dad went on a mission for SPD and ran into Grumm… we never heard form him again… Then Ani left for KO 35 and we became rangers. I wanted to tell you Syd, but-"

"Stop," Syd said as she turned to him. "I understand that you guys had to keep low profile. I remember the security around school after you two left… I was so upset when you guys left Sky… you were the only other kids with powers like me and Bridge… it was just… weird. And then to find out that you're Schuyler Meyers from school and you've been lying to us… to me…"

Sky turned to her face her and took her hand in his. "I know, and I'm sorry I couldn't tell you, but what would it have mattered?" He began. "I mean, if I found out you have some secret life before SPD, I'd still care about you… that would never change."

Syd's eyes widened as the reality of what had just been said registered in her mind. Sky too seemed a little shocked at his admission, but he was relieved when he felt her hand tighten around his.

"You care about me?" she questioned coyly.

"You think I'd risk my neck climbing up here, begging for forgiveness if I didn't?"

Syd laughed a little then and moved closer to him, allowing him to wrap his arm around her shoulders. Sky hugged her to him and carefully tilted her head upward, bending down to meet her lips gently.

"I'm glad you came up here," Syd said as they broke away and she settled into his arms. "I had hoped you would."

"So does this mean you care about me too?" Sky asked. Syd smiled and wound her arms around his waist.

"I guess you could say that," she replied as they sat and watched the people below them.

Two figures caught their eyes as they were walking out by the pond.

The immediately recognized them as Jack and Ani… Sky watched as Jack grabbed his sister in his arms and kissed her…

Syd's eyes widened as she felt Sky's arms release her. He stood and headed towards the door. As soon as his reached it, he pulled the knob as hard as he could, pulling it off in the process…


	7. Chapter 7

"And this was taken the day before we defeated master Org," Taylor said as she showed Z the few pictures she always carried with her.

For the past hour or so, she had told her everything she knew about Danny to his daughter. They had moved to Z and Syd's room and Z was comfortably sitting on her bed, memorizing everything about her father.

"I have his eyes," she said softly. "And his nose."

"And his heart," Taylor added. Z smiled and handed the picture back to her. She reached behind her pillow and retrieved something Taylor hadn't seen in years…

"My mom said this bear was his," she said as she held up the obviously worn out teddy bear. Taylor saw the toy and smiled.

"He never slept without it… I remember giving him so much flack about it, but he said it just made him feel good having it around."

Z cradled the bear to herself. "Thank you… for everything," she said softly.

"You'll have to meet the others soon. I know Max would like to know his best friend's daughter… he could probably tell you more than I did."

"I'd like that," Z said.

Moments later Jack walked into Z's room and promptly stood at attention when he saw Taylor rising to leave.

"At ease Cadet," she told Jack. "I was just leaving."

Taylor exited and the door closed behind her.

Z took in the look of her partner in crime and knew something was up. In the same, Jack saw that Z had been crying and she NEVER cried.

"What happened?" they both asked at once.

Jack sat with her and pulled her into his arms. "You're crying," he said.

Z pulled back and showed him one of the pictures Taylor had given her… it was of a tall, muscular Hispanic man with his arm wrapped around Taylor and a smaller woman she knew to be Alyssa Evans.

Jack looked at the picture puzzled.

"That's my father," she said softly. "Lieutenant Meyers told me all about him Jack," she said as more tears gathered.

"You look like him," he said softly. Z smiled and wiped her eyes.

"Yeah… so what's wrong with you? Did you talk to Cruger?"

"Oh yeah- I talked to him alright," he said with disgust. He then told Z about his parents and she was in a bit of shock. "And then I went out by the pond and ran into AJ, or Ani, or whatever the hell she wants to be called today, and-" he stopped short before he revealed too much.

Z smirked. "Oh, what Jack? Are you in love with her or something?" she asked jokingly.

Jack took a deep breath and clearly wanted to avoid that question.

Z was shocked. "Wow… I was just kidding Jack," she said, clearly trying to hold in her laughter. She couldn't take it though and burst out.

"It's not funny Z," he said seriously.

"Sky's going to murder you!" she said between laughs.

On the roof…

"Damn it! I have to get down there!" Sky cried in frustration.

"Why?" Syd asked as she calmly walked over to him.

"So I can kill Jack," he said as he attempted to fire a shield at the door. The blue light bounced off the door, sending both he and Syd to the ground.

"Why would you kill Jack?" Syd asked as she stood. "It didn't look like she was fighting it!"

"It doesn't matter! She's my sister!"

"So? Seriously Sky, take it easy."

Sky was ready to flip out, but the moment he looked at her pleading eyes he knew he couldn't do it. She was right… no matter how much he hated to admit it… he would still talk to Jack and Ani about this…

"Now if you promise NOT to kill, maim, or even put a scratch on Jack, I'll open the door," she said. "But you have to promise me Sky."

"I promise," he said without hesitation. His mother was leaving in the morning… the last thing he wanted to do now was cause a scene, but it would be taken care of…

Syd took a small metal piece off her belt and placed it in her hand, turning it to iron. She walked over to the door and punched where the knob had been. The door opened instantly and Syd released the metal bar.

Sky walked over and kissed her cheek. "Thanks," he said before turning to the stairs. Syd blew out a deep breath and called maintenance to fix the door, praying that Sky would keep his word. The last thing they needed right now was to start issues with each other again…

Ani sat in her room, looking at the pictures around. There were several of her brothers and her, as well as a few of Katie and Alec Collins, Melanie Evans, and or course, her mother and father.

They were all so precious to her and she knew she'd be lost without them… Jack probably didn't have anything like this… her thoughts wandered back to the events that happened.

He kissed her… really, truly kissed her. She couldn't remember the last time she had been kissed like that. Her hand went to her lips and she smiled slightly.

"I had that same look the first time your father kissed me," Taylor said as she entered.

"Mum," Ani said as nervously. "What look?"

Taylor sat down and pulled her daughter to her. "Like you're flying," she said as she released her. "Should I be concerned?"

Ani shook her head a little and laughed. "I don't think so… it was more of an impulse thing I think. We were fighting and he just… kissed me."

Taylor smiled and started laughing softly. "That sounds like me and your father… he used to say it was the only way to shut me up."

They both laughed then and Taylor kissed her daughter's forehead.

"Get some sleep. I'm leaving first thing."

"I will… thanks mama," she said softly as Taylor reached the door.

"You're welcome Animaria." She pressed the door and it slid shut.

Ani collapsed onto her bed and lay there for several minutes. "What am I doing?" she questioned herself. Jack was a jerk… he clearly thought too much of himself… but then the others followed him, and he seemed to be a good leader…

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Ani turned her head as she heard Jack's voice coming through the door.

"I saw you!"

'Oh shit,' Ani thought as she bolted out of bed. As soon as the door was open, she saw the others a little way down the hall. Syd was clearly holding onto her brother as Z and Bridge were standing with Jack.

"I don't know what the hell you thin happened but it's not what you think," Jack said.

"Just stay away from her!" Sky cried back.

"What the hell is going on here?" Ani shouted, making herself known. She walked over to them with her arms crossed.

"Well, Sky claims that he saw you and Jack-" Bridge began.

"I don't give a shit as to what you think you saw," Ani said staring at Sky. "But whatever it is can wait. It's late and the last thing we need is for the entire academy to wake up over this."

'_I can't believe he did that to you!'_ Sky shouted to her in his head.

'_Whatever happened is between me and Jack,'_ she replied.

'_Animaria Jean Meyers so help me,'_ Sky began. _'I know him! He's trouble!'_

The others watched the glaring contest the twins were having, unaware of the argument between them.

'_Return to your quarters Cadet.'_

Sky's eyes widened in shock. "Are you pulling rank on me?" he asked aloud, causing everyone to become more confused.

"I don't know," Ani said sarcastically. "Do I have to?"

Sky roughly pulled away from Syd and saluted his sister, a look of hurt and betrayal in his eyes.

He turned and stalked back to his room, leaving the others in a bit of shock. Ani sighed and ran her hand through her hair, thankful that her mother hadn't heard that…

"Would someone like to explain what just happened?" Z asked. She and Jack had been walking down the hall when they ran into Bridge. Coincidently, they ran into Sky and Syd and everything just blew up from there.

"We were talking telepathically… we've always been able to," Ani said quickly.

Jack approached her but she backed away a bit, holding her hand up. "Not now," she said. "Everyone return to your quarters and we'll discuss this civilly tomorrow."

Jack look hurt and Ani did too, but they others didn't say anything… they followed orders and went back to their rooms.


	8. Chapter 8

HEY EVERYONE! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS! AS I SAID TA THE BEGINNING OF THIS STORY, IT'S SLIGHTLY AU…

THIS CHAPTER AND THE NEXT WILL GO ALONG THE LINES OF 'REFLECTION, PART 1 AND 2' BUT WITH MY OWN LITTLE IDEAS THROWN IN. I PROMISE THAT EVERYTHING WILL BE EXPLAINED!

ENJOY!

Two weeks… It had been two weeks since she had spoken to her twin, and it was killing her. She could still pick up on certain feelings that he was projecting and the one that scared her the most was betrayal…

Sky felt like she had betrayed him and that was possibly worse than him flat out hating her.

Sky was literally her other half. Collin had called when their mother returned home, and he could feel what she was feeling just by talking to her. After a long conversation over the matter, Collin decided that perhaps he and Lucas should come out to New Tech for a weekend to try and sort things out.

The others knew their secret, so why hide it any longer?

At the moment, Ani was pulling her hair into a tight ponytail. She had a simulation training exercise with Jack… according to Cruger, she and Jack were best suited as sparring partners…

She was unsure if the Commander knew what had transpired between the two, but if he did he wasn't talking.

In truth, she and Jack hadn't spoken about it either. Things between B Squad seemed a little tense lately to everyone around the Academy.

Ani stayed at Command when the rangers were out in battle, and she could clearly see the way Sky avoided Jack at all costs, unless it was a dire situation. Training was another story all together.

Sky would constantly push himself harder then the others… he always finished before everyone else, no matter how hard it was on him, and Ani knew he was hurting physically as well as inside. Jack wouldn't speak to her unless it was necessary, and she knew he didn't want to mess with his team and make things worse…

Their latest task was turning out to be an interesting one. Criminals they had already captured were randomly showing up around the city, but they were still in containment…

Sighing, Ani pulled her White SPD shirt over her head and headed out the door towards the main simulation room.

As soon as she entered the room, Kat handed her a readout on the morpher she had been developing…

"The energy levels seem to be fluctuating whenever we test the weaponry circuit," the feline said.

Ani scratched her head as she studied the statistics.

"We would like to test it in action," Kat said as she opened a case next to her.

"And who's the subject?" Ani asked as she pondered the data in front of her.

"You of course. You know everything about this thing. You'll probably know what's wrong better than we would."

Ani took the morpher and opened it up from the back and looked at circuits closely.

As she was doing this, Jack entered and was suddenly struck dumb by the way she looked. She was completely engrossed and concentrated… not to mention that she looked amazing in her tight black shorts and white top.

"Jack?" Kat asked. The red ranger shook his head and snapped to attention. "We're going to try out the new morpher."

"New morpher?" he questioned as he approached Ani.

"The Omega Morpher," Ani answered. "Developed on KO-35 with the latest ranger technology."

She closed the back portion of the device and clipped it to her shorts.

"I have some things to take care of at the lab, so I'll let you two get to training," Kat said. "I want a full report on your findings Ani." Ani and Jack saluted and she let, closing the door behind her.

Jack walked over to the panel and typed in an open plain sequence. The room was instantly transformed into a barren land with a few boulders around. He turned to Ani.

"You know how to use that thing?" he questioned.

"I designed it, built it, programmed it… I think I have an idea," she replied.

Jack smirked and dropped into a fighting stance. "Well then, I suggest you put your money where your mouth is."

Ani got into her stance and retrieved the morpher. "SPD EMERGENCY!"

In a flash of white light, Jack watched as a new ranger stood in front of him. The suit was primarily white with a blue strip and gold running around it. Her helmet was white and blue with a bit of a fin on the back.

"Nice suit," Jack commented as he obviously took in her curves and the way the suit covered them perfectly.

"I suggest you morph before you get hurt," she said as she activated her weapon. As Kat had told her, as soon as she called for her weapon, she received a bit of a shock as it materialized.

She looked at the morpher and programmed in a sequence. Moments later, she called on her weapon again and it worked as she had originally programmed it to.

Jack was impressed… she knew her stuff all right. He retrieved his morpher and was transformed into the red ranger instantly.

They sparred for what seemed like hours before Jack finally got the upper hand. She was good… very good.

He swept his leg under her, catching her off balance. Ani did a backhand spring and landed on her feet.

They both charged and ended up flipping each other over, landing them both on their backs with their heads next to each other.

"Power Down," they both said. Their suits dissolved and they lay there panting.

Jack turned his head slightly and did something that he'd been secretly longing to do for weeks now… very carefully, he kissed the side of her head.

A small smile appeared on Ani's face when she felt his warm lips graze her skin. It felt so… natural. She turned her head and Jack found himself lost in her bright eyes.

Without another thought, their lips met and held for several sweet seconds. They broke away and Jack smiled.

"I was hoping I could make up for the one I gave you before," he said. "That was kind of rushed… not that I didn't want to, but-"

"You were trying to shut me up," she said softly. Jack groaned.

"You caught me… but I had wanted to do that for a while… even if you did try to kill me the first time we met."

"You scared me," she said. Carefully she stood and offered him her hand.

Jack reached out and took her hand. "I'd like to take you out sometime, if that's alright."

Ani thought for a moment. "There is a code in the SPD handbook that states specifically, 'No ranking officer and cadet may partake in amorous relations without prior consent of their commanding officer.' Meaning that I don't think so," she said as she took her hand back.

"Don't tell me you know the SPD handbook by heart," he said jokingly.

Ani stared at him in shock. "You don't?" Jack shook his head and ended the simulation.

"You and Sky really need to get out. Have some fun… life isn't all regulations and rules."

"It is for us," she said carefully. "It has to be."

She grabbed her water bottle and exited the room.

"By the way Jack… since you're Red Ranger, that puts you above me in rank for certain situations." She threw her hair over her shoulder and left. Jack smiled. Maybe he had a shot after all…

Ani walked down the hallway smiling like an idiot. One, she had finally felt the rush of what it was like to be a ranger… and two, she had given Jack a not so subtle invitation to ask her out…

"AJ TATE TO COMMAND, AJ TATE TO COMMAND," came Kat's voice over the intercom.

She ran to command and saw Kat and Cruger looking at a holograph of a criminal.

"How did the testing go?" Kat asked. Ani handed her the morpher.

"One of the circuits was overloaded… I fixed it and it works perfectly… you can probably start the selection process to find the right candidate."

Cruger nodded and looked at the screen. "Excellent work… I wanted to inform you that Sky has been sent on an interrogation mission in hopes of identifying the cause of these criminals showing up again."

Ani smiled inwardly. Sky was always the best interrogator… a trait he inherited from their mother.

"What his estimated return time?" she asked as she looked at the criminal Sky had gone to see.

"Murlock can be difficult to speak to," Kat said.

"Murlock?" Ani asked surprised.

"I see you've heard of him."

"Of course. He was wanted on KO-35 for years until the rangers there put him in confinement at the maximum security prison," Ani answered.

Cruger nodded his head. "Until his return, I want you to finalize the testing on the Omega Morpher. I have a feeling we're going to need it." Ani saluted and took the schematics Kat had for her.

She left the room and Kat turned to him.

"You should have told them about Murlock," she said. "They have a right to know."

Cruger rubbed his temples. "It's not the right time at the moment. When Sky returns I'll tell them everything that happened between Murlock and their father."


	9. Chapter 9

Sky settled his ship down as quickly as he could.

After they had contained Slate, he returned to see Murlock and, in his mind, stupidly let his emotions get in the way.

'Damn it!' he cursed in his head. He knew everyone would be angry with him over this. He never got overly emotional over anything, but when Murlock had mocked his father's tragic disappearance he lost it.

Ani was in command at the time and gripped her head in pain. Kat walked over to her and placed a hand on her back.

"What is it?" the doctor asked.

"It's… it's Sky," Ani breathed. "Something's happened… he's back."

Sky walked down the hallway, but was stopped suddenly by Boom… what he was told shook him to the core.

Ani again grabbed her head as pain entered her mind.

'_Sky? What happened?'_ she asked him mentally.

'_Boom just told me Murlock had something to do with Pop,'_ he answered back angrily.

Ani's eyes lit up as the other rangers entered Command. Jack instantly saw that there was anger in her eyes and walked over to her.

"What happened?" he asked carefully.

Sky stormed in.

"Why didn't you tell me about Murlock and my father?" he demanded. Ani moved away from Jack and stood next to her twin.

"It was not my intention to keep it from you," Cruger said.

"Just what exactly are you hiding?" Ani demanded.

Cruger sighed. "I'll debrief you both in one hour. The information I've received only came to me a few months ago… just before AJ returned."

Syd touched Sky's arm and he carefully lifted it off. "I think we need to talk," he said to his twin. Ani nodded and they walked down to Ani's room. Sky didn't miss the look Jack gave her as they exited…

Moments later found them in her room, both not really knowing what to say. Sky was pacing while Ani sat on her bed.

"What the hell happened out there Sky?" she asked.

"Murlock collects sad memories… I… I told him about Pop never coming back… and he used it to his advantage," Sky said bitterly.

Ani walked over and grabbed him in a hug. "I'm sorry Sky," she said softly. Sky hugged her back, thankful that she was here.

The past two weeks had been hell for him. They had always been so close…

"I'm the one who should be apologizing," he admitted as they broke away. "Syd talked to me after everything and… well…"

"She made you change your mind about Jack not being a total asshole?"

"No. I still think he's an asshole sometimes, but she made me realize that you're your own person and that I shouldn't make you do anything."

"You know you could never make me do anything anyway."

Sky smirked. "You never did listen to anyone." They sat there for a few more moments before Ani got up the courage to show something she hadn't even viewed yet… the thought to watch it never came to her mind, but if this Murlock character was everything he was cracked up to be, then there was no doubt in her mind…

"What are you doing?" Sky asked as she opened up a secured file on her laptop.

"When… when I was on KO-35 I kind of hacked into DECA's archival sector and looked up something," she said as she opened the file.

Sky walked over with a knowing sense in his gut. "Is it…?"

"The battle against Grumm… I wasn't sure what it was at the time, but Zhane had mentioned that every ranger battle has been taped by DECA on the Megaship… like a constant surveillance."

"Have you watched it?" Ani shook her head, no.

"Are you ready to?" Again, Ani shook her head.

"Are you?" she asked. Sky shook his head as well, but they knew they had to see what really happened to their father.

Ani pushed play on the player software, and they watched as their father appeared on the screen in his civilian clothes.

They watched as Grumm fooled him, and they watched as he morphed and fought with everything he had…

Then, while clutching the dog tags he had gave them, as well as each other, they watched as he jumped in front of their uncle to save him.

Tears were streaming down their faces as they saw the explosion, but something… something out of the ordinary caught Sky's eye.

"Ani… can you… can you rewind it a little," he asked.

Wordlessly, she obeyed and played it again.

"Stop right there," Sky said as the video paused. "Do you see that?" he said pointing to a spot.

The tape was paused just before the full brunt of the explosion filled the screen.

"I do see it," she said as she zoomed in. "There's a bright light right there."

It was true. There was a small explosion just before a larger one. Eric disappeared just after the small explosion… when the light appeared. It was gone as quickly as it got there, but it was definitely there.

"So… that means Pop," Ani began.

"Could still be alive," Sky finished. "It makes sense." He stood and began walking around the room. "Murlock was a well known criminal,"

"And Onyx was a literal breeding ground for the scum of the universe," Ani said softly. "He could have planned it all… with Grumm."

As the reality set in that their father could still be out there, Cruger entered.

"I know I said an hour, but there's been an emergency. Murlock's back. We need you in the field Sky," he said. "And you in Command Ani."

Still in a bit of shock, the twins obeyed their Commander and headed out.

Ani monitored the rangers as they split up. Jack had opted to go alone while Syd and Sky went together and Bridge and Z teamed up.

"Commander!" she shouted when Z and Bridge disappeared from her radar. "Delgado and Carson just left my radar."

Cruger walked over to her monitor, and they watched as Syd and Sky's signal disappeared as well.

"Damn it!" Ani cursed. She punched in a code and connected to Jack's morpher. "Jack, the others have disappeared off the radar."

"All of them?" he asked back nervously.

"All of them… just be careful," she said. Cruger walked out of the room, and Kat knew the Shadow ranger would be making an appearance…

"I will," Jack's voice cut out as a robot appeared in the city. "I think we have a bigger problem down here!"

Ani looked over the monitors as Kat was furiously typing in codes. "Ani," she said. "Jack can't pilot the Delta Megazord alone…"

"But he can pilot the Omega Zord," Ani said softly. Se pulled up a file and sighed as she punched in the access codes.

"Are you sure it's ready?" Kat questioned.

"We'll see," she said as she contacted Jack. "Jack, I'm sending you the Omega Zord. You should be able to pilot it yourself, but I'm going to warn you… it's faster than anything you're used to."

"Got it," Jack said.

Ani sent the zord and they watched as it descended on the city and transformed. Kat saw the look in Ani's eyes as her master project was sent out. Her eyes were misting over with small tears, but she wouldn't let them fall.

Kat knew now was the time to give Ani what she had always wanted. She opened the case to the Omega Morpher.

Ani watched as Murlock appeared on the screen, capturing the Omega zord and Jack.

"Kat! He's taken the zord!" she said. "We have to do something!"

"My thoughts exactly," the feline said as she handed her the morpher. Ani's eyes widened in shock.

"Me?" she questioned.

"It was always meant for you. Doggie was going to wait a little longer, but we don't have a choice… go. Help your team."

Ani nodded and took her creation in her hands. "SPD EMERGENCY!" she cried.

Moments later, Ani was speeding down the streets of New Tech City on her bike, adrenaline pumping through every part of her body.

She reached her destination and found Commander Cruger fighting with Murlock. She dismounted and fired at the criminal.

Murlock cried out in pain as Cruger ran over to Ani.

"It's good to see you Lieutenant," he said. Ani nodded in response.

"Where are the others?" she questioned.

"You're little friends are safe with me," Murlock said. "And you're going to join them soon!"

He fired a blast at them and the rolled off to the side. Ani watched as Murlock appeared in the glass reflection of the building next to them. The rangers all appeared in the reflection and Murlock reemerged.

Sky's eyes lit up as he watched the new ranger and Cruger fight Murlock. He knew her fighting style and smiled a little when he realized that it was his twin…

Cruger was thrown into a barrier and laid on the ground, leaving Ani to fight. The others watched as she was thrown against the building, struggling to get up.

"Come on Ani! You can do this!" Sky said to her. His voice was faint, but she heard it.

Murlock opened his chest panel, showing the mirrors, and Ani realized that the never-ending reflection was the source of his containment abilities.

Just as he was about to capture her, she sprung up off the ground and hit him with everything she had.

The mirrors shattered and the others landed around her, gasping for breath, struggling to stand.

Cruger ran over to them and they all regrouped.

"Nice suit," Sky commented. Ani grinned under her visor and demorphed.

"You will never defeat me!" Murlock cried as he looked at the rangers; his eyes resting on Sky and Ani. "You're weak! Just like your father!"

Jack saw the hurt and anger in both sets of blue eyes and knew what he was about to do was right.

"Here," he said as he handed his morpher to Sky. "Do it for him."

Ani placed her hand on Jack shoulder and gave him a small smile.

'_Do it Schuyler,'_ Ani said to him in her head. Sky took the morpher and turned to Murlock.

"SPD EMERGENCY!" he cried out. Ani's eyes misted over as she watched her brother in red, fighting the villain. Using the new battlizer, Sky made quick work of Murlock, capturing him in a containment card.

"Power down," Sky said. Syd ran to him and grabbed him in a tight hug,

Cruger walked over to them as everyone congregated around Sky. "I'll take Murlock in. I still need to speak to the two of you," he said to the twins. "But when you're ready."

Ani and Sky nodded in response and Cruger took off.

Sky turned to his sister and hugged her tight.

Jack felt Z's hand on his shoulder and turned to his partner in crime.

"Looks like she'll be sticking around for a while," Z said.

"Looks that way to me," Jack replied with a smile on his face.

Sky turned to Jack and handed him his morpher back. "Thank you," he said. Jack nodded and shook Sky's hand.

Syd stood next to Ani. "Maybe there's hope for the two of them getting along after all," the Pink ranger commented.

"I hope so Syd… I really do," Ani replied. She and Sky still had a lot of things to figure out, but this was defiantly a start to finally getting their lives together.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day, Sky and Ani sat in Cruger's office as he entered with a file in hand.

"I received this from one of our agents in deep space a few months ago," he said as he sat at his desk. "It reveals that Grumm hired Murlock to capture your father all those years ago."

"So… he's still alive?" Ani questioned as she took the file into her hands.

"As far as I can tell, yes," the canine replied.

Sky took the file from his sister and clenched his fists. "All this time Grumm's known where he is," he growled. "It's not fair!"

"No, it's not," Cruger said. "But with Murlock in containment, we shouldn't have to worry about him."

"We need to find him," Ani said softly. "I don't care if we have to destroy Grumm himself, we're getting our father back."

"No need to rush Lieutenant," Cruger said. "We've only just received this information. We'll come up with something, I promise."

The twins rose, saluted and walked back to their quarters.

Ani followed Sky wordlessly back to his room, and sank onto his bed, laying back and staring at the ceiling.

"I can't believe this," Sky said as he sat next to her.

"I know… it's just… God I don't know how to describe it," she replied.

"We have to tell mum… and Collin and Lucky."

"And Uncle Wes, Aunt Jen, Auntie Lyssa, Uncle Cole…"

Their words trailed off as the reality of their father still being alive hit them.

Silent tears came to Sky's eyes and he let them fall. Ani too was upset, and she let her eyes spill over as well.

"Collin and Lucky want to come up this weekend," she said softly. "We could tell them then."

Sky shook his head. "No… I think… I think we need to go home. Tell everyone at once."

Ani nodded. "You're right, but will Cruger let us go?"

"I'll ask. I mean Silver Hills isn't too far away. If we were needed back we could always call the runners." Again, Ani nodded… they were going home…

Later that evening, Sky was sitting on the roof looking out at the stars. He had so much going on right now, and all he wanted was something stable… he wanted Syd.

She had been patient with him ever since their night up there. They really hadn't had a chance to see each other the way they wanted, but he defiantly knew he wanted to be with her.

"This seat taken?"

He turned and saw Syd standing next to him. How had she gotten up there without him knowing? He motioned for her to sit and she did, carefully taking his hand in hers.

"Ani told me about your dad… I'm so sorry," she said gently. Sky wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

"Thanks… did she tell you we're heading home?" Syd nodded.

"Kat suggested maybe we go with you guys… see where SPD really started at the Silver Protectors place."

Sky smirked. "It's Silver Guardians Syd," he said gently. Syd laughed a little.

"Sorry." He laughed and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Z mentioned she wanted to see some guy name Cole too."

Sky smiled. "Yeah. He's kind of my uncle. He fought alongside Z's dad with my mom and Aunt." The two were quiet before Sky got the nerve to ask her something. He gently cupped her face with his palm and leaned in, kissing her gently.

"Sky," she said softly.

"Would you be interested in a tour of Silver Hills while we're there?"

"Like a date?" she asked smiling. Sky leaned down and stayed millimeters from her face.

"Just like a date," he replied as he kissed her. Syd responded excitedly and kissed him back with everything she had.

"Absolutely," she responded as they broke away. Sky smiled and pulled her close as they watched the stars.

Ani on the other hand was in the lab typing away. She wanted to know everything about Grumm and what he was capable of. Everything she got said the same… he was an overlord who had the power to take over entire planets.

What she really wanted was a way to hack into his ship's system and find her father or anything on him.

A cup was set down next to her and she jumped a little as Jack took a seat on the desk.

"Thought you could use something to keep you up," he replied. "You've been down here for hours… let's go for a walk."

Ani looked at him and the cup of incredible smelling coffee. She took the cup and pressed it to her lips. "Thanks," she said after she drank. "But I'm fine. I really need to get this done."

"What is it exactly?"

Ani sighed and pulled up a file. "Everything we know about Grumm. I want to find out what he could have done to my father."

Jack took her hands in his and kissed them. "You can't keep pushing yourself like this. I know all you can think about is work, but if you keep doing that it'll destroy you… I want to take you out."

Ani looked at him oddly.

"Not a date, seeing as that's against some rule you found. Just come outside to clear your head. You're a ranger now, you need to get out… bond with your team."

Ani smiled and took her hands away, shutting off her laptop. "Not too long," she said.

Jack was grinning like an idiot as he took her hand and led her to the garage where his bike was kept. He handed Ani her helmet off her bike and donned his.

"Where are we going?" she asked as they mounted the bike. Jack just grinned and shut his visor, speeding out of the garage with Ani clinging to him.

They drove along the streets of New Tech City, away from the city. Ani watched as the city faded away and they climbed a small road up a hill. Jack stopped the bike and they both got off.

Jack watched as Ani removed her helmet and shook out her long dark blonde hair.

"You're beautiful," he said.

Ani placed her helmet on the bike and grinned. "And you're a liar," she replied as she walked over to the edge of the hill overlooking the city. She sat down and Jack followed, sitting next to her.

"I wasn't lying," he said sincerely. Ani turned when she felt him take her hand. "I mean it. I know it's against some kind of regulation, but I can't help it."

"It's not right Jack," she said. "If we were to-"

Her words were cut off as Jack leaned over and kissed her gently. He cupped her face with his hands and asked silent permission to go further. Ani opened her mouth slightly and their tongues gently rolled around each other.

The other kisses they'd shared were kind of rushed… this one was anything but. Ani's hand found their way into Jack's hair, and he groaned slightly as she played with his braids.

The broke away and Ani kissed him quickly. "Screw the rules," she said as she settled into his arms.

"Miss straight laced, by the book? Are you sure?" he asked. Ani took his hands and wrapped them tighter around her.

"Absolutely."

"What about Sky?"

"What about him? If he has a problem, he's going to have to deal with it… plus I think Syd will keep him occupied." Jack smiled. He knew they had a thing for each other.

Jack kissed her neck and she smiled.

"How did you know about this place?" she asked.

"Z and I found it when we were running away from these guys… they tried to rob a friend of ours and we stopped them."

"It must have been hard living alone for so long," she said.

Jack sighed. "Yeah… it was for a little while, but we got along." They were silent for a few more minutes before Ani yawned. "Sorry I'm boring you."

"You're not… I'm just tired from everything that's happened."

Jack pulled her a bit tighter and she snuggled against him. "What happened to him?" Jack asked gently.

Ani sighed and began her tale. "He was asked to start a division of SPD here on earth. Grumm didn't want it to happen, so he tried to get him to stop… Sky and I were abducted when we were little and that was it for my father… he found us and went on a mission with a few other rangers to stop him from hurting us again.

"He left us Jack. Left me, Sky, our brothers… our mother… he just left…"

Ani held her composure and felt Jack running his fingers along her arm. "But he's till alive?" he asked gently.

"According to the files we have," she said sadly. "I just don't know how we're going to tell my mum… they love each other so much… she's either going to freak out or try to rescue him herself."

"Sounds like someone I know," Jack teased. Ani lightly pinched his arm.

Ani just sat back in his arms, enjoying the feeling of someone with her. She had been alone for far too long.

"Sky and I are planning on heading home to tell her… I… I'd like it if you went with me."

Jack kissed her cheek. "I'll go anywhere for you."

Ani was touched by his words and turned to kiss him.

Meanwhile, in space, Grumm's warrior stood in front of him.

"You have an assignment," he said to his minion. The warrior nodded his helmet-clad head. "I want you to go to follow the rangers… and destroy them."

"As you wish master," the warrior said.

"Start with the Blue and Omega rangers…"


	11. Chapter 11

"Wow," Z commented as Syd parked the jeep in front of a large white house with black shutters. "This place is huge!"

They had driven to Silver Hills and were planning on getting at least a good day off without any interruptions.

Syd stepped out of the jeep and smiled when Sky came over and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"So this is your house?" she questioned.

"Yup. Has been my whole life," he answered. Ani walked over to the garage and punched in the access code. The doors opened and they all walked in. Taylor's truck was gone, indicating that she was still at work, but there was a red Explorer parked and Ani knew it was Collin's.

She opened the door and the others followed closely. "Collin? You home?" Sky called as they waited in the kitchen.

Moments later they heard the sound of feet coming down the stairs and Ani almost fainted when she saw her little brother, now all grown up in front of her.

"Ani?" he questioned. Ani nodded her head as he hugged her with all his might. He had grown so much since she had been gone and he looked exactly like their father. "What are you doing here? Lucas and I were coming to see you guys next week!"

"And what am I?" Sky questioned as he moved forward.

"An overbearing older brother who gives me shit," Collin replied as they embraced.

The others laughed a little before Sky introduced everyone. "Guys, this is Collin. Coll, this is Jack, Bridge, Z, and Syd."

Collin shook hands with everyone and smiled when he met Syd. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said.

Ani gently grabbed his shoulders and pulled him away from the amused Pink Ranger. Collin looked at Sky and was instantly hit with the feeling of jealously.

"Whoops," he said. "Sorry… had no idea." Sky grinned and placed his arm around Syd.

"How did you know that?" Bridge asked. "I could sense it, but-"

"I'm empathic. I can feel what someone else is feeling whenever I want," Collin replied. Bridge grinned.

"I think you and I should take later," the Green Ranger said.

"Yeah, mum told me you all had powers too," Collin said. "Lucky's supposed to be coming home any minute actually."

"Lucky?" Jack questioned.

"Lucas," Sky said. "We started calling him Lucky when he was a baby… he had a few problems when he was born." Everyone nodded their heads before they heard a motorcycle pull into the driveway, followed by feet running into the kitchen.

"I knew it," Lucas said as he dropped his helmet and embraced his sister.

Ani was caught a bit off guard as he just about launched himself onto her. "Good to see you too Lucky," she said. Lucas released her and couldn't stop grinning.

His blonde hair just reached his shoulders, and his light eyes sparkled. "I had a feeling I'd see you soon."

Ani grinned as Lucas hugged Sky. He and Collin had both grown up so much and she mentally kicked herself for nod keeping up contact as well as she could have. Jack placed his hand on her back.

"You all right?" he asked gently. Ani nodded and walked over to her brothers. It was then that the others saw how much they all looked alike. Ani introduced Lucas to the others, and they spent the next few hours getting to know one another.

"How long are you guys here for?" Collin asked Sky as they watched the others play Frisbee.

"Just a couple of days," Sky said. "There's something we all need to talk about... the family I mean." Collin looked him straight in the eye. "Coll, don't even try to feel what I'm feeling right now. It's not going to go over well with mum."

Collin obeyed his brother, but deep down he knew something was going on. A sudden noise brought them all to attention.

Jack pulled out his morpher when he heard the alert. "Go ahead Kat," he said. The others all stopped and walked over to him.

"You're not going to believe this, but Morgana and a group of Krybots are in Silver Hills… I'm sending you the coordinates now. If you need the runners, they're standing by."

"Oh shit," Lucas said. "Morgana? Like the chick you were telling me about?" he asked Sky.

Sky had kept his brothers updated with their latest foe, and nodded in agreement. Another beeping noise was heard and Lucas pulled out his beeper.

"Mum's paging me to headquarters," he said as he placed his beeper back. Lucas was a Silver Guardian now, and Sky wasn't surprised when he had heard that.

"I'm coming too," Collin said. "In case you guys get hurt."

'_Should we let them?'_ Sky asked Ani in his head. Ani nodded.

"SPD EMERGENCY!" the rangers cried out.

Collin and Lucas were in awe of their siblings… they were actually rangers, just like they had always wanted to be.

"Let's move!" Jack said. The rangers immediately hopped on the bikes, with Syd riding with Sky, and Z with Ani. Collin and Lucky jumped into Collin's truck and headed towards the SGA.

The rangers reached the location first. It was on the outskirts of the city in the middle of a large field.

"Rangers! Thought you could have a little holiday and not invite me?" Morgana cried.

"What do you want here?" Ani asked as she drew her weapon.

"Oh it's not what I want… it's more of a little surprise for you!" She commanded the Krybots to attack, but hung back and watched. Grumm had big plans and she couldn't wait to see how the rangers would react to his latest idea.

The rangers made quick work of the Krybots and turned towards Morgana. Just as they were about to attack, a blast came from out of nowhere, throwing the rangers to the ground.

"What the hell?" Jack asked as he helped Z to her feet. The others stumbled to their feet and saw a cloud of smoke where Morgana had been.

Two figures emerged from the cloud and Sky and Ani felt everything in that moment freeze. Time stood still, and they were numb to everything except the figure that stood next to Morgana.

His red and black suit was all too familiar to the twins… the jagged black symbol on the front… the black boots… the black and red helmet… there was no mistaking it… in front to them stood the Quantum Ranger…

The other rangers charged at him, but Sky and Ani couldn't do it. They were rooted to the spot.

"Guys! Something's wrong with them!" Z cried as the new ranger tossed her into Bridge, knocking them both down.

The ranger kicked Syd hard in the stomach and sent her to the ground, crying out in pain. It was then that Sky snapped out of it. He ran over to Syd and placed himself in front of her, shielding her against him.

The ranger turned towards him, but was hit in the back by Jack, sending him to his knees.

"No!" Ani cried as she grabbed Jack's arm, pulling his blaster down.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" he cried as he tried to pull his arm back.

"You can't hurt him!" she cried out. Jack looked at her through his helmet and could feel her shaking.

"Ani, what's-"

A blast cut him off as they were both thrown to the ground. Jack shielded Ani with his body as they fell.

"Jack?" Ani asked as she tried to get up. "Jack!" She shook him and he didn't wake up.

She heard footsteps and saw the ranger advancing on her, blaster in hand.

Ani's eyes widened when she saw the weapon. There was no mistaking it… he had the Quantum Defender in his grasp. He pointed it at her…

"Stop it Papa!" she cried.

The ranger stopped and stood still. His hand trembled as he prepared to fire again… but he couldn't do it… something in his head was screaming for him to stop.

Sky left Syd with Z and Bridge and ran over to his sister, helping her to stand.

The two of them stared at the ranger as he stared back at them… there was something about them…

He shook his head and pointed the Defender again.

"Pop, stop this! We can help you!" Sky said with raw emotion in his voice. There was not a doubt in his mind that this ranger was his father.

The ranger stopped again and lowered his weapon slowly, turning his head to look away from them. His head ached as memories flooded his brain… twins with light eyes… a smaller version of himself… a baby in an incubator… a blonde woman….

Without another word, he pressed a button on his morpher and was gone in a flash.

The rangers demorphed and the others ran over to the twins… both had tears in their eyes.

"What the hell happened out there?" Jack screamed at them as they stood. "You just froze! Some of us could have been hurt worse than we are!"

"Not now Jack," Sky said as he supported his sister.

"Yes, now Sky. That was irresponsible, dangerous, stupid-"

"Shut up Jack!" Ani screamed. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Damn right to know what I'm talking about! You put your team in danger, not to mention the fact that I could have destroyed him if you hadn't interfered!" he yelled.

"Fuck you Jack," Ani said as she stumbled away to her bike. Jack was about to run after her when they heard sirens in the distance heading their way, giving Ani enough time to speed down towards the city as the sun set.

Sky walked over to Syd and collected her in his arms. "I'm sorry," he said into her hair. "I promise I'll explain everything to you."

Syd nodded against his chest and kissed him softly. Bridge and Z were supporting each other, while Jack stared numbly at the tracks Ani left.

Four Black SGA trucks pulled into the clearing and Taylor, Collin, and Jen stepped out.

"What happened here?" Taylor said. "What… what are you all doing here? Where's Ani?"

Sky broke away from Syd and took his mother's hand. "We need to talk…"


	12. Chapter 12

Grumm was angry… his warrior had failed him.

"These children must be stopped," he said to himself. "He can never find out what his life was before he came to me…" he walked over to his console and punched in a few codes, showing the rangers to him. "If his memory comes back Morgana will pay for it."

Unknown to him, his warrior had heard everything…

Back on Earth, Taylor was sitting in her living room with Sky, Collin, and Lucas.

"Shouldn't we wait for Ani?" Collin asked. Sky had called them all here for a family matter.

"Ani already knows," Sky said sadly. "I think she wants to be alone right now anyway."

"Why?" Taylor questioned. "Schuyler you're scaring me a little… what's going on?"

Sky took a deep breath. "Today, we came here to tell you guys something… something about Pop that Ani and I found out." Everyone was silent as he continued. "We came home and got called away… when we got there Morgana had someone with her that fought us… Ani and I stopped him."

"How?" Collin asked softly.

"We… we called him Pop and he froze up." There was a long, uneasy silence…

Taylor was in shock. "There's no way," she said as she shook her head. "Your father… he was lost Sky… as much as I want to believe you…" she choked.

"Mum… he had the Quantum Defender…" Sky said as he trailed off.

Taylor raised her head then and tears were coming down her cheeks.

"Cruger also told us something," he continued. He then told her about the file and how he and Ani had analyzed the video… also about his encounter with Murlock.

When he was finished, everything was quiet.

It was only after a few minutes that Lucky spoke. "So… papa's really alive?" Sky slowly shook his head as they all turned towards their mother.

Taylor was a mixture of joy, anger, hurt… and love. If Sky was right and Eric was alive…

"I want to see this ranger," she said softly. "If he is your father, then I think I know how to get him back…

Meanwhile…

Jack drove down the streets of Silver Hills. It was past dark by now, and no one had seen or heard from Ani. Sky was the only one who didn't seem worried, but Jack was kicking himself for the way he acted.

He was sure there was a reason she did what she did, but he had been too stupid to realize. As he drove, he saw a large clock tower in the distance, and he could have sworn there was a bike outside it. As he got closer, his thoughts were confirmed.

He parked and, sure enough, Ani's bike was there… without another thought, he took off his helmet and made his way inside, locking the door behind him.

It was old, but well taken care of inside. He smelled burning wood and climbed up the flights of stairs until he reached the top level.

Sitting in front of a small, lit fireplace was Ani, curled up in a red blanket, sitting against a stack of pillows. She looked so small sitting in the darkened room, and he knew he had made her like this.

He made his way towards her, and stopped when he stepped on a creaky board. Ani's head turned sharply and Jack saw that she had been crying. She turned her head back to the flames.

"Go away Jack," she said. "I don't want to talk right now." Jack walked towards her anyway and sat next to her.

"Well, I'm going to sit here and talk anyway. You don't have to. I can go on for hours," he said gently. Ani turned and looked at him. "I wanted to apologize… I never should have yelled at you like that. I'm sure there was some reason you and Sky did what you did… I just didn't listen."

Ani saw the sincerity in his eyes and smiled a little. She leaned into him and Jack gathered her in his arms, settling back against the stack of pillows she had.

"What is this place?" he asked as he stroked her hair. "I looked everywhere for you."

"This is the restored clock tower. My Uncle Wes built it for my Aunt Jen for their first anniversary… the original one was destroyed when my uncle and my… my father… when they fought for Silver Hills in 2000," she said softly.

Jack felt her tense a little and knew she was in tears again. He kissed her forehead and held her tighter. "What happened out there? You know you can tell me."

Ani felt his comforting touch on her arm and knew it would come out sooner or later.

"I couldn't let you destroy him Jack," she said softly. "I couldn't let you destroy him because… he's my father."

Jack tensed then and felt her cry a little more against him. "I'm sorry Ani… I never even thought…"

"Neither did I," she said. They sat in silence for a few more moments as Jack let it set in. "We have to get him back… I won't lose him again. I don't think we could handle it as a family."

Jack tilted her head up towards him. "I'll always be there for you… you know that," he said. "I was more worried about you getting hurt today… and when I took that hit for you…"

"Why did you Jack? I've done nothing but treat you like shit since I got here. You have no reason to want to help me."

"Of course I do," he said softly. "I care too much about you to let anything happen. You could run me through the mud course all day and I'd still care."

"Jack," she breathed softly as his lips captured hers. The blanket fell away and Jack ran his hands up her toned arms. Ani felt her skin tingle as Jack toughed her exposed skin. She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him back with everything she had.

Never in her life had she ever felt this way… she was burning… and she wanted more. Jack too was feeling as if he was in another world, experiencing the sense of total completion… like he was always meant to kiss her like this… hold her…

Their hands roamed and Jack's leather coat fell to the floor, as he lowered her down onto the pillows. Ani let out a small gasp of surprise when she felt Jack's weight settle on her. Jack pulled away from the kiss and grinned at her.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered as he kissed her neck and worked his way down, tugging on her shirt. Ani lifted her arms and Jack lifted the white t-shirt over her head. He was in awe of her curves as he kissed the top of her breasts.

Ani smiled and laughed a little as he gently nipped at her sensitive flesh. She reached down and pulled his red shirt over his head. Jack lifted himself away from her and her eyes widened a little.

Jack's sculpted body was littered with small scars that shone white in the firelight. Jack saw her surprise. Anyone else who had viewed his street toughened body did… what surprised him more was when she leaned up and gently traced the outline of a few of them with her lips.

Ani kissed the small scar near his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "You're beautiful," she repeated to him.

Jack smiled a little as her words sunk in… no one had ever said anything like that to him in his entire life. He knew that Ani was different… special. He knew from the moment he laid eyes on her months ago in the vehicle bay.

"I love you," he said. Ani's eyes filled with tears at his admission. She had been in love with him from the moment she laid eyes on him… she knew that now. Scientifically, her brain told her not to, but Jack had opened her up and for the first time in her life, her heart beat out her brain.

"I love you too," she said softly as he leaned down again and kissed her lips softly. Ani pulled him down onto her and all other thought was gone.

Jack removed her bra, pants, and panties slowly, kissing her skin as he went. Ani had her fun with Jack as she repeated the gestures to him, massaging his stomach and laying kisses along the way.

Ani settled back against the pillows as Jack hovered over her. Without another word, Jack entered her in one quick thrust, Ani gasped as she felt her body adjust to fit him.

"Are you ok? Did I hurt you?" Jack asked concerned. When he had entered, he had felt some resistance and feared that Ani had never done this before.

Ani let a few tears run down her cheeks and Jack's eyes grew more concerned.

"I'm sorry… I didn't know…" he stammered as he realized that this was Ani's first time. It was only his second, seeing as he was living on the streets most of his life and didn't want to risk anything out there…

Ani shook her head as she felt him pulse inside of her. "I'm fine… really," she said as he pulsed again, sending a jolt through her. "I wouldn't want it any other way," she said as her eyes closed.

Jack leaned down and kissed her and slowly made love to her. Both were in a state of pure ecstasy as they moved together.

After a small lifetime, Ani shuttered beneath him, feeling the gentle warm sensation wash over her. Moments later Jack felt the most amazing sensation he had ever felt in his life. His body fell onto hers, a small layer of sweat covering them both.

Jack grabbed the discarded blanket and pulled it over them as he adjusted himself so Ani was lying across his chest. His hand tangled lightly in her hair as she wound her arms around him. They caught their breath and felt the overwhelming need for sleep.

"Ani?" he asked gently. Ani moaned a small, happy sigh in response. "What's your real name?"

"Animaria," she breathed softly as she kissed his chest. "What about you?"

Jack smiled. With the exception of Z and Cruger, no one knew his full name… "Jackson," he said as he kissed her head.

Ani sighed happily and snuggled into him.

"I love you Jackson," she whispered before she finally succumbed to sleep. Jack grinned and settled in himself.

"I love you too Animaria…"

Up in space, the Quantum ranger looked at himself in the mirror. His suit was gone and for the first time in many years, he took a good look at himself.

The most puzzling thing though was the faint white line that ran across his left hand ring finger. At one point in time he must have been wearing a ring of some sort.

'I have to figure out where I came from,' he said to himself. The only thing he remembered was waking up many years ago on Grumm's ship, and being hailed as Grumm's greatest warrior.

He had trained several of the aliens in Grumm's arsenal, including Morgana herself before Grumm turned her into a child.

'Those rangers… there's something about them…'

Back in Silver Hills, Sky was pacing around his basement where several pieces of exercise equipment were set up along with a few pieces of furniture.

Everyone had long since gone to bed, but he couldn't sleep… his mind was a jumble. He knew his mother was still up as he heard her walk across the kitchen, undoubtedly getting another cup of tea to settle her.

She had taken things surprisingly better than expected. It was when she grew silent and pulled away that Sky knew she was formulating some sort of plan to get his father back.

He hit the punching bag over and over as he let out his aggressions. Oddly enough, he felt a strange, stirring feeling of comfort and warmth… he stopped punching and thought for a moment.

Ani must have been feeling better, he thought as he resumed his punching. Before, he sensed her anger and hurt, but now she was calm and relaxed…

A sudden movement by the stairs caused him to turn and drop into a fighting stance, but he calmed as soon as he saw Sydney walking towards him.

"Your mother let me in… I couldn't sleep knowing you were going through all this," she said as she walked over to him.

Sky walked over to her and kissed her cheek. "I'd hug you, but I'm all sweaty," he said softly. Sydney leaned in and wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"I don't care," she said gently. "You need someone right now… I know that."

Sky smiled and kissed her head. "Thank you," he said. "I'm glad you're here." They stayed locked in each other's embrace before Sky broke away and led her over to one of the oversized couches at the far side of the room.

"I'll be right back," he said as he disappeared into a small room. Syd watched him go and felt something in her stir again. The feeling had been there for several months now, and seeing Sky like this, at his most vulnerable moment, made her realize that he trusted her completely. He let her see a side of him that no one had ever seen before…

She knew then that she loved him… truly loved him. Moments later Sky emerged, changed into sweats and a t-shirt, and Syd's thoughts were confirmed ten fold.

Sky sat next to her and he felt her sigh when he pulled her close. "It's late… you should be back at the hotel with the others," he said.

"There's no place I'd rather be right now… plus Bridge locked himself out of his room and decided to shack up with Z." Sky gave her a questioning look, although they both knew their yellow and green rangers had something going on between them… "And Jack took off looking for Ani."

"He did?" Sky asked surprised.

"Yeah… you should have seen him Sky. He felt so bad for hurting her… for hurting the both of you. I've never seen him act like this before. It's almost as if…"

"He loves her," Sky stated. Syd nodded her head in agreement.

"He knew she was hurting and wanted to be there for her… just like I'm doing for you," Syd said as she kissed his chest.

Sky's eyes softened at her disguised admission. "So you're saying that you love me?" he asked softly.

Syd's blue eyes met his and she nodded. "I do."

He kissed her lips softly and traced her cheek with. "I love you Syd," he said. "I have for a long time now."

She sighed happily when he leaned in then and kissed her passionately, lowering her down on the couch and holding her close. After several minutes, they heard someone upstairs walking around and paused.

"I think we should continue this later," Syd said. "What if your mother or your brothers came down and –"

Sky pressed his finger to her lips and settled behind her, cradling her in his arms. "Then we'll just have to settle for this… for tonight," he said as he kissed her. He ran his fingers along her back and she listened to his heart beating.

"Are you okay?" Syd asked after a while. "The way you just… stopped… he, that ranger… he's your father isn't he?" she asked gently. She had recognized the suit immediately from the pictures Sky had scattered around his room.

"Yeah," he said after a pause. Syd kissed his neck and felt him relax a little. "We're going to save him Syd. I don't care what it takes."

"I know you will Sky. He's still in there."

Sky felt her relax against his chest and knew she was succumbing to sleep. Moments later he felt her go limp in his arms and he grinned a little before closing his own eyes.

'We'll get him back…'


	13. Chapter 13

It was quiet in her house as she padded across the tile floor of the kitchen. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't sleep. Thoughts of her husband filled her mind.

Schuyler had literally dropped a bomb on her when he told her about Eric. It just wasn't possible… after all these years… but she had known. She knew that Eric hadn't died that fateful day all those years ago. There was a feeling she had. She would have known if he was really and truly gone.

Sipping her fourth cup of tea, she reluctantly sat down in the window seat of the kitchen, staring out at the pool as the first rays of day were bouncing off of it. She remembered the nights she and Eric had spent out there just relaxing in each others' embrace after the children had gone to sleep.

He was the best husband any woman could have asked for. Though he was brash on the outside, Taylor had seen the true side of Eric Meyers… the father who would sing to his babies, stay up late at Christmas assembling the latest toys for them… the man who had taken her out of a life she was sick of living and given her so much more.

Tears wouldn't come anymore as she watched the sun climb higher into the sky over the trees. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she knew she had to do something to get him back. Her mind had been a jumble, and after long hours, she had an idea that just might work…

She picked up the phone and dialed Alyssa and Cole's number. Cole was naturally an early riser, as was his daughter and she was sure someone would pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mel," Taylor said to her niece Melanie. "I need to talk to your father."

"Sure Auntie Taylor," she said as she handed the phone off to Cole.

"Cole, I need you to do me a favor… I need you to contact Princess Shayla…"

Ani woke up and stretched, her muscles sore from sleeping on the floor… the floor?

Realization hit her… she was in the clock tower, on the floor, wrapped in nothing but a red blanket. A smiled came to her face as she remembered she and Jack making love long into the night. She sat up and wrapped the blanket around herself, surveying the room.

Jack was sitting on the sill of one of the open windows in nothing but his pants. He turned when he heard her rise and walk over to him. Jack gestured for her to sit on his lap and she did, kissing him softly.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked as he held her close to him.

"Great," she replied. "Last night was… well, I'm not sure how to describe it."

Jack grinned and rubbed her back. "The scientist can't some up with some logical explanation?" he joked. Ani kissed his chest.

"Not a one," she replied happily. "Although I must say that it was extremely pleasurable."

"We'll have to do it again then," Jack said as he picked her up and carried her over to the stack of pillows. Ani yelped a little with surprise, but let him lower her down and kiss her.

Jack nipped her neck and she giggled. She was reached for his back to pull him down, but was torn from her thoughts by her cell phone. It was still fairly early, and she was sure it was Sky.

"Hello?"

"Animaria?"

Ani sat up. "Uncle Cole? What's wrong?" she could tell by the tone of his voice that something was up.

"Your mother called here earlier this morning asking to find Shayla," Cole said. "What's going on?"

Ani's eyes widened. "I'll explain everything later I promise," she said. "How long ago did she call you?"

"About an hour ago. I waited to call… I thought you'd be a asleep."

"It's ok. I promise I'll come over to talk to you about all this, but I have to go." Cole had the feeling that something big was in the works, and the way Taylor was acting…

"Be careful," he said.

"I will," she replied as she hung up the phone. Jack looked at her concerned. "We need to get back to the house. Call Z, Bridge, and Syd and meet me at my house."

"Ani," Jack said as they got dressed. "That the hell's going on?"

Ani sighed as she pulled her shirt over her head. "I think my mother decided to take matters into her own hands…"

Sky shifted a little and kissed Syd's forehead, causing her to wake up. She stared at him through sleep clouded blue eyes and smiled. He kissed her lips softy and she snuggled deeper into his arms.

"We should get up," Sky said softly as he ran his hand along her back. Sydney groaned in protest.

"We can stay here a little longer," she said softly. Upstairs they heard the front door slam followed by running feet. Both rangers were up instantly.

Ani ran down the stairs to the basement and saw Sky and Syd with worried looked on their faces.

"Where's mum?" Ani asked breathlessly.

"She was upstairs pacing all night," Sky replied as they all walked up to the kitchen. Collin and Lucas came into the kitchen rubbing their eyes.

"What the hell is going on? I thought today was my day off," Lucas complained. Moments later, Jack, Bridge, and Z walked in from the garage.

Ani caught her breath. "Uncle Cole called me this morning and said that Mum called earlier looking for the Princess," she said.

Sky's eyes widened. "Oh no," he said softly.

"What Princess?" Z asked curiously. She had been told about the Wild Force Rangers' mentor…

"Princess Shayla," Collin said slowly as he began to piece everything together.

"She wouldn't," Lucas said softly as he looked at his siblings. "Would she?"

"Alright," Jack said. "Would someone please tell the rest of us what's going on?"

"Our mother wouldn't have gone looking for Princess Shayla unless she wanted her morpher back," Lucas said as he grabbed his keys. "I'm going to get Uncle Wes and Aunt Jen."

Without another word, he left and the others prepared to leave…

"Rangers!" came the frantic cry over their morphers.

Sky picked his up. "Go ahead Boom."

"You're never going to believe who landed on the outskirts of Silver Hills," came his reply.

"We're on our way," Sky said. He looked to his younger brother. "I want you to go to headquarters."

Collin shook his head. "Damn it Sky I'm not a kid anymore! I'm heading to med school soon. I can help you guys!"

"Not this time," Ani said. "Go tell Uncle Cole and Auntie Lyssa what's going on."

Collin was about to protest, but saw the pleading look in his sister's eyes. "Fine," he said as he turned and left.

Jack placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ready to do this?" he asked gently. Ani nodded her head and looked to Sky, whose arm was wrapped around Syd's shoulders. She nodded her head.

"Whatever you do, DO NOT hurt our father," Sky said gently. "Please." The others all nodded and they ran outside to their vehicles.

"SPD EMERGENCY!" they all chorused. Within minutes they were near the same location that they were the day before and, like yesterday, Morgana was there along with the Quantum Ranger and a troop of Krybots.

"Ready for round two?" Morgana taunted. The rangers stood at attention and the Krybots charged. Sky and Ani broke away and headed straight for their father while Jack took on Morgana.

The Quantum Ranger blocked every one of their attempts to grab him, and he punched Sky in the stomach, hard, sending him to the ground. Ani grabbed his arm and he flipped her upside down and onto the ground next to her brother.

Jack saw Ani fall and tried to make his way to her, only to be blasted by Morgana sending him to the ground.

'_Ani, we have to power down,'_ Sky said mentally to her. _'It's the only way he'll recognize us.'_

Ani nodded her head and they both let their suits dissolve.

The ranger was ready to deal them a second attack, but stopped when their suits disappeared. Their eyes… they were so familiar to him…

They slowly stood and looked him in the eye. "Papa please," Ani pleaded as she held her shoulder. "It's us."

"You know us," Sky said as he held his stomach. "You're a part of us, just like we're a part of you."

The Ranger stood there motionless as he felt something in him stir… something that he hadn't felt in almost ten years… recognition…

Morgana threw Jack off of her and saw the scene unfolding with Grumm's warrior. 'No,' she said in her head. 'He'll never remember! I won't let that happen.'

She fired a blast at the twins, sending them a few feet away from their father. "Your mission was to destroy them!" Morgana cried as she prepared for another attack on him.

Out of nowhere, a blast hit her, causing her to fall to the ground. Everyone looked up and saw a yellow figure fly down from above them.

Ani and Sky immediately felt a pull at their hearts…

The new figure landed gracefully on the ground and faced the Quantum Ranger. Her heart literally stopped when she beheld him face to face. The Quantum Ranger felt that feeling of recognition again, but stronger this time.

The Yellow Wild Force Ranger walked right up to him. "Eric," she said breathlessly.

That name sounded so familiar to the Quantum Ranger… "Eric?" he asked softly.

The Yellow Ranger nodded her head. "That's your name. You're Eric Meyers… don't you remember?"

The Quantum Ranger felt his head begin to spin as something inside of him suddenly clicked. He shook his head as the lost years started coming back to him.

Her suit… he knew her… it was slowly coming back…

Morgana watched as she stood. 'No,' she said in her head as she saw that he was remembering. Faster than any of them could have guessed, Morgana fired a blast at the two rangers.

"Mum, Pop look out!" Ani called as she saw Morgana fire… but it was too late…

Taylor felt the blast hit her and she fell forward, causing Eric to catch her as they both sank to the ground.

Taylor's suit immediately fell away and Eric's eyes widened. "No," he said a loud. "Power Down!"

His suit fell away and he looked at his wife for the first time all over again with tears in his eyes. "Taylor? Taylor!" he cried.

Her eyelids fluttered open and she found herself lost in the eyes she had been dreaming about.

"Eric," she said softly. "I love you," she said before her eyes closed. Eric cradled her to him and kissed her forehead.

Morgana raised herself up as best she could and disappeared.


	14. Chapter 14

Eric cradled Taylor's limp body to his as he slowly rocked back in forth.

He remembered everything; Taylor, his children, the attack… everything. Now he was going to lose the one person that had made his life worth living… the reason he went off on the mission in the first place.

He stopped rocking and rested her head in his lap, gently running his hand over her cheeks, all the while holding her protectively.

The other rangers watched as Sky and Ani tentatively made their way to their parents.

Sirens could be heard as an SGA vehicle pulled up. Sky and Ani turned and saw their brothers emerge from the vehicle.

Collin stopped in his tracks as he saw his father holding his injured mother. Without another word, he grabbed his medical bag and ran over to them.

Eric heard running footsteps and immediately held Taylor to his chest.

"Get away!" he screamed when Collin stopped.

Collin took a deep breath and bent down to him. "Pop, please… I can help her," he said gently.

Eric raised his head and was struck dumb for a moment. In front of him was no longer the nine year old he remembered.

"Collin?" he questioned as he looked at the smaller version of himself. Collin smiled weakly and placed his hand on his arm.

"Yeah," he managed to get out. Eric, still in a bit of shock, lowered Taylor to the ground and watched as Collin checked her vital signs.

Lucas watched with a dull expression. "I… I can't," he said as he turned away and headed towards the road.

Eric raised his head and saw the retreating figure. Lucas stopped as a feeling of extreme concern filled him. His heart sank the instant he realized it was his father reaching out to him. Slowly he turned his head and locked eyes with the man he thought of as the person who abandoned him and his family all those years ago.

For several years Lucas harbored a deep feeling of betrayal towards his father. He was so young when he left, and he had promised to return but hadn't. The feeling coming from Eric was too intense for him and he found himself running towards his father, passed his older siblings and landing in Eric's embrace in tears.

Eric was caught a bit off guard by the tall blonde haired young man running towards him, but he had known the moment their eyes met that Lucas had grown up… he felt him shake a bit as he sobbed into his shoulder.

He placed a hand on his youngest son's back and held him. "It's okay Lucky," he said softly. Lucas pulled away and Eric smiled slightly.

Ani and Sky regained their senses and ran over to their family. They turned first to their mother, as Eric had his hands full with Lucas.

"Coll?" Ani asked as she held her mother's hand. Collin placed his equipment back in his bag.

"She's ok. Just weak. We need to get her home to rest… I think Pop would know better how to help her than we would."

At the mention of his name, Eric turned his head and felt tears come to his eyes as he really and truly got a good look at his family for the first time in almost ten years. Ani and Sky both had grown into strong adults, and rangers to boot. Collin and Lucas were literal mirror images of himself and Taylor… at the thought of his wife he turned back and saw her eyes open slightly.

Her head was pounding, but out of the clutter in her mind, she registered that her family was around her… all of them.

Eric saw her eyes open and immediately took her other hand. "I told you I'd find a way back," he said softly. The children watched as he leaned in and kissed her softly. Taylor smiled slightly before her eyes closed again.

He looked to his children. "I think it's time we all went home," he said. They all nodded as their bodies worked on their own; their minds a mess of emotions.

Sydney made her way over to them and stopped Sky. "Are you going to be alright?" she asked gently.

Sky nodded his head and kissed her forehead. "I'll call you guys later," he said as he got into the SGA truck with his family…

A short time later, Sky, Ani, Collin, and Lucas were sitting in their living room, waiting for their father to come down. They all had watched as their father carried their mother up to her bedroom.

The kids sat motionless. They really weren't sure how to approach their father after all this time. How would he react? Would he push away from them after being gone for so long? Would he be the same father they all remembered?

Eric slowly descended the stairs and looked at his children. They all noticed that his face had aged and his hair had a few subtle streaks of gray, but besides that, he was the same person they remembered. He walked towards them and stopped.

Slowly, he opened his arms to them, and all four of his children immediately recognized the gesture from when they were younger, and jumped into his arms. All four of them immediately burst into tears. They really had their father back.

Eric held his brood of children and thanked the powers that be that he was home with them. After all that had happened today, he really hadn't had a chance to talk to them about everything.

"Thank God," Ani sniffed as they all broke away. "We knew you weren't gone papa."

Eric placed his hand on her cheek. "Animaria, you've grown so much," he said softly. "All of you have," he said to his sons. One by one, each of them hugged him in turn, receiving words of comfort they had longed to hear.

They spent the majority of the day talking, and before they knew it, night had fallen, but they didn't notice. Eric swelled with pride as he heard everything his children had accomplished.

Ani being promoted, Sky's accomplishments at the academy, Collin's dream to become a doctor, and Lucas's involvement in the Guardians. He had missed so much, and he wished he could have gotten the time he missed back.

Eric, in return, told them everything that had happened to him in the years he had been gone. How Grumm had made him believe he was someone else, and how Ani and Sky had triggered his memory somewhat.

They talked about anything and everything that they had wanted to know. "I'm so sorry you guys," Eric said after a while. "The entire mission was supposed to keep you safe. I went to make sure you all would be protected… I promised to come back and I didn't…"

Lucas placed his hand on his arm. "We know why you did what you did Pop," he said. "Mum told us everything… you were always our hero, even before you left."

Eric looked to Sky. "He's right. We've always wanted to be just like you."

"And when you put us over yourself, we all knew we wanted to be just like you," Ani put in.

"Keeping the family safe," Collin finished. Eric smiled. They all had a piece of him in them, and they had just affirmed that…

More time passed as they caught up, and soon Lucas was falling asleep. Eric grinned.

"He was never a night owl," he said. He looked to the twins. "Unlike you two… you would stay up all night."

"If I remember correctly, Collin kept us up several nights," Sky said in defense.

"He had his moments, but he usually went to sleep as soon as your mother," he paused as he thought of Taylor upstairs. "As soon as your mother calmed him down," he said softly.

Ani and Sky saw the look of pain in his eyes.

"Pop, it wasn't your fault she got hurt today," Ani said gently. Eric smiled a little.

"Your mother would've said the same thing," he replied. Lucas snored slightly. "I think we should all go to bed. Talk more in the morning." The kids all stood up. Ani lightly nudged Lucas, snapping him awake instantly.

"Where is he?" he asked alarmed as he sat up. Eric placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm right here," he said. "I'm not going anywhere." Lucas smiled sleepily as Eric put his arm around his shoulders. Silently, they all walked upstairs. Eric walked his children to their rooms and hugged them all goodnight before retiring to his room.

In his rush to help Taylor, he really hadn't stopped to look around the house to see if anything had changed. As he walked up the short flight of stairs into he and Taylor's suite, he smiled as he saw all the baby pictures of their children.

They varied form infancy, to elementary school. Ani in a soccer uniform, Sky playing baseball, Collin reading a book, and Lucas standing outside the SGA building in his junior Guardians uniform.

He took a deep breath and walked into the large room. Taylor was still lying on the bed, sleeping peacefully. He walked around the dimly lit room and saw the arrangement of pictures on the mantle above their fireplace.

Their wedding picture, Wes and Jen's wedding picture, Alec and Katie, Melanie… then there were four large frames, each with a center picture of each of his children with smaller pictures surrounding it.

As he looked closer, it was like a chronological order of their pictures from kindergarten up until their graduation from the academies they attended. He grinned at the lost teeth, different hairstyles, and clothes.

The picture that he found himself stuck on though was one of all four of them out by their pool. Each child was dressed in casual attire in light shades of blue, white, red, and yellow.

He turned when he heard a sharp intake of breath coming from the bed. He walked over and lay down with his wife.

Taylor naturally turned into his embrace and he felt her weight settle back into his arms. How many nights had he dreamed of this? Holding her against him, feeling her body pressed to his…

She felt his arms wrap around her and instantly opened her eyes. She felt him kiss her forehead and smiled.

"I must be dreaming," she whispered. Eric sighed happily.

"You're not," he said calmly. "I'm home Taylor…"


	15. Chapter 15

Eric was sitting up in bed, gently running his fingers along Taylor's exposed arms. He had given up trying to sleep, and had just sat there and rememorized every inch of her.

Though she was wearing an oversized shirt and her old Air Force shorts, she was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

Her face had entered his mind almost everyday that he was away, but he couldn't hold on to it long enough to remember anything. How could he have forgotten her?

Taylor felt the soft caresses and sighed happily in her sleep. Eric grinned and kissed her head. Slowly, she opened her eyes and her smile grew.

"I was afraid if I woke up you wouldn't be here," she whispered to him. The moonlight cast him in a soft glow, and she was certain she was dreaming. She had woken up too many times like this, only to have him disappear. Slowly, she eased herself up and wrapped her arms around him.

Eric held her gently, taking in everything about holding her again. He could feel her heartbeat against his bare chest, her breath against his neck, smell her shampoo and light perfume…

"I missed you so much," she said as Eric felt tears on his skin. "I knew you were still out there. I refused to believe that you were really gone… the kids don't know it, but I went searching for you about a year after it happened."

Eric felt her tighten her grip on him.

"I went to see Andros and he brought me there… to Onyx… and when I didn't find anything…"

Eric rubbed her back and kissed her cheek. "I'm so sorry," he said softly as he kissed her again. "I should have found a way back sooner. I never should have-"

Taylor took his face in her hands and stared into his deep brown eyes. "You did what you set out to do. Our children are safe, and so am I." Eric took her hands in his and lowered them away from his face. After a few silent moments, he got up the nerve to ask her a question that had been haunting him ever since he returned…

"Was there ever anyone else?" he asked gently. Taylor looked at him shocked. "I was gone for almost ten years Taylor… I would understand…"

Taylor looked a bit shaken, but knew this was coming. Silently, she reached to her nightstand and removed a ring from the drawer. She held his left hand and slipped his wedding band back on, placing his palm at the center of her chest. "Eric, my heart was yours from the day you gave me that damn speeding ticket. I would never give it away to someone else. I love you and I always will," she said as a tear made its way down her cheek.

Eric smiled and moved his hand behind her back, pulling her to him. "I love you so much," he said as he kissed her passionately, lowering her down onto their bed. Taylor sighed as she felt his weight settle on her.

"It's been so long," she said softly as Eric eased her shirt over her head, kissing her torso all the way up… just as he had done their first time together.

"Too long," he replied as he took care of the rest of their clothing, tossing it away. He settled above her and brushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes. "I missed you Earhardt," he whispered as he kissed her gently.

Taylor reached behind him and drew him to her. "It's Meyers," she replied as another tear ran down her face. Eric kissed her hotly and entered in one long, slow thrust. Taylor felt him fill her and they just smiled as the sensations began to overwhelm them.

Ever so gently, they made love like it was the first time all over again, being gentle and mindful of each other. After what seemed like a lifetime, they both felt their releases almost at the same moment. Taylor clung to him as he rolled onto his back, holding her against his chest, never wanting to let her go.

Taylor careful removed herself from him and settled into his embrace; her head resting over his heart and her arm draped across his chest. Eric laughed a little. Never in his life had he felt more complete. Things were finally getting back to the way they should have been…

Up in space, Morgana stood in front of Grumm. She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but she knew the longer he waited, the harsher the punishment.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't destroy you right now," Grumm said with venom. Morgana shook internally as she tried to formulate a good reason. It wasn't her fault Eric remembered who he was!

"His memory was going to come back eventually," she said softly. Grumm rose out of his chair and grabbed her roughly.

"Wrong answer," he said as he opened up the doorway to the Pit. Morgana stared into it, and felt her stomach turn. Grumm was banishing her to the Pit forever.

"Grumm, please! I'll do anything!" she begged. "I can get him back!"

Grumm thought about it for a moment, and Morgana thought she had a chance for redemption.

"You've failed me too many times! Goodbye Morgana!" he cried as he thrust her in. He grinned evilly as he heard her screams fade away…

He turned back to his throne and sat. "Now that she's out of the way, I can finally put my master plan forward… no matter that he's gone… he'll be destroyed along with the rest of them…"

The following morning, Ani and Sky were sitting out by their pool silently sipping cups of coffee.

"I called Uncle Wes," Sky said. Ani smiled. It had been awhile since she had seen him and her Aunt Jen. "He said he'd come over later… I think his words were, 'I'm sure you're parents have some catching up to do'."

Ani's wrinkled her nose. "Ew…" she said as she sipped her coffee again.

Sky grinned. "Whatever… let's not think about… that," he said softly as a thought came to his mind. He had been meaning to talk to her about it, and seeing his parents reunite got him thinking. "Ani… what's going on with you and Jack?"

Ani's eyes widened. She knew this was coming… it had been ever since she joined SPD again…

"Do you love him?"

Ani sighed and turned to him, a small grin on her face. "Yeah… I do," she said gently. Sky's eyes shut as he let that sink in. He had known it, but actually hearing it from her… "Schuyler, I know he's not your favorite person, but he treats me better than any other person I've ever known. It's just this… feeling I get every time I'm near him. The first day I ran into him in the vehicle bay, I knew… kinda like you and Sydney."

Sky smirked. "Don't turn this around on me," he said. "Jack and I have come a long way ever since he got the Red Morpher. I've accepted it, and in a weird way… I… thinkyouandJackaregoodtogether," he said rushed.

"Wait a minute," she said as she shook her head. "You think Jack and I are good together?"

Sky sipped his coffee and looked out at the backyard. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Ani nudged him.

"Is that your way of saying I have your blessing?"

"I think it's pop's you're going to have to worry about, not me."

"What am I going to have to worry about?" Eric said as he came out onto the patio. The twins smiled to see their father truly back, wearing his favorite pair of jeans and a black t-shirt.

"Morning Pop," they both said at the same time. "Stop doing that!"

Eric just laughed. "I missed out on all the times like this," he said wistfully. Ani reached out and touched his shoulder.

"But you're back now," she said. "And we wouldn't trade that for anything in the world."

Eric reached up and placed his hand over hers. "Thanks guys. You have no idea how great it is to be back."

Lucas and Collin came out a short time alter, followed by a very happy looking Taylor.

"Mum? How you feeling?" Collin asked as he went to reach for her arm to check her pulse.

"Easy doc," she said grinning. "I feel just fine." She sat next to Eric and he immediately put his arm around her.

Lucky's head turned towards the gate. "Uncle Wes is coming," he said. Two minutes later, Wes, Jen, Alec, and Katie came walking through the gates.

"I didn't believe it when Sky called me," Wes said as Eric rose. "You just couldn't stay away could you?" he said as he hugged his best friend.

"I never thought I'd be happy to see your ugly face again," Eric said as he broke away. Wes laughed. Eric was back.

A teary eyed Jen walked over next and grabbed him in a tight embrace. "I knew you were too damn stubborn to stay gone," she said as tears fell down her face. "Welcome home."

Eric smiled as he released her and saw the two figures behind her. "Alec, Katie," he said as he hugged them as well. Alec was exactly like Wes in everyway and Katie had her mother's coloring, but her father's eyes.

"You guys grew up," he stated. They both just grinned.

"It's good to see you Uncle Eric," Alec said. Katie looked a little shy. She had only been four or so when he disappeared.

Collin saw her hesitation and walked over to her, wrapping his arm around her waist. Eric's eyebrows rose a bit and Collin and Katie both blushed a bit.

"I guess I missed more than I thought," he said laughing a little. Everyone sat down then and caught up.

Hours later, Ani was finishing the lunch dishes, when her morpher went off.

"Go for Ani."

"I hate to do this to you Animaria, but we have a robot attacking the city," Kat said through the morpher. "You and the others are to return now. Shadow Ranger's been dispatched to the scene."

Sky came running in then. "We have to go," he said. Eric and Taylor were right behind him with anxious looks on their faces.

Sky and Ani looked to their father. "Go," Eric said. "I always knew the two of you were meant to do great things."

They hugged their parents one last time before heading out on their bikes.

Eric and Taylor watched them drive off and Eric pulled her close. "I'm never going to get used to them going off all the time am I?"

Taylor leaned in closer. "No… but you understand why they have to go." Eric nodded his head and they went back in the house, hoping their children would be safe.


	16. Chapter 16

Jack paced nervously outside the infirmary.

Their battle with Grumm's latest robotic monstrosity had left both Syd and Ani pretty banged up.

They had had to call in the SWAT flyers, and Syd's took a pretty gruesome blow before they formed the Megazord.

That had been hours ago. After the fight, they had helped clean up the area and had been debriefed. It was getting late now, and everyone was tired.

Ani had piloted her zord, only to have it tossed aside like a piece of scrap metal. Inwardly, he knew she would be more concerned with it than she was with herself.

"Jack, they're going to be fine," Sky said as calmly as he could.

They were all banged up a bit, but when he had felt Ani's pain shooting through his body, he knew his twin would be out of commission for a little bit. Sydney was another situation all together.

He was in the same boat as Jack. Syd's arm was burned a bit and she had hit her head, but nothing that she couldn't recover from. It was the waiting part that made him nervous. The longer someone was in there, the worse it was…

Inside, Kat slipped Syd's arm into a sling. "You ladies are very lucky," she said. "Both of you need to rest for the remainder of today and tomorrow, understood?"

"Yes Kat," they said at once. Kat grinned.

"Now go out there before Sky and Jack break the doors down," she said with a wink. The two girls laughed and walked out, laughing even harder when they saw the two boys in question waiting for them.

"What's the damage?" Sky asked as he moved towards Syd.

"Bruised shoulder and a little burn on my arm," she said. "Nothing major." Sky turned to his sister.

"Contusion on my right shoulder, and minor lacerations on my legs," she said.

"English please?" Jack said as he moved towards her.

Ani grinned as he gently placed his hand on her back. "I'm cut up and bruised," she said. "Nothing that shouldn't heal in a few days according to Kat… Where are Bridge and Z?"

Syd's face turned into a huge smile. "Oh my gosh! Did he finally ask her out?" she squealed. Sky nodded his head and she jumped a little. "That's great! Now we're all paired up!"

Jack looked to Sky, fearing that he would attempt to pounce on him, but was surprised to see a small smile on his face.

The girls grinned at each other before heading back towards their rooms, with the guys right behind them.

Syd stopped at her room and entered, with Ani walking down the hall a few doors to hers. She waited in the doorway and watched as Sky stopped in front of Syd's room, holding Jack's arm a bit to stop him.

Jack took a deep breath as Sky inched towards his ear. "If you hurt her in any way Landors, I will see to it personally that you never see the light of day again," Sky said into his ear.

Jack pulled away a bit and saw that Sky was dead serious. He patted his arm and saluted. "Yes sir," he said as he walked down towards Ani, breathing a little easier. Ani ushered him in and shut the door behind her.

"What was that about?" she asked as she lay down on her bed. Jack joined her and she rested her head on his chest.

"I think in some sick twisted way, Sky's accepted that I want to be with you," he said. Ani laughed lightly as she began to feel her eyes shut. They had fought for the better part of the day; one thing popping up after another.

It was as if Grumm was trying to weaken them before the final blow…

Jack too, felt sleepy and closed his eyes, keeping a firm, but gentle lock on her…

In Syd and Z's room, Sky lay against her headboard, Syd carefully wrapped in his arms. Why the hell had it taken them this long to get together? They had known each other practically forever…

Syd kissed his chest and he grinned, running his hand through her hair.

"Sky?" she asked sleepily.

"Yeah Syd?"

"Will you do something for me?"

Sky smiled. "Anything."

"I want you to stay here with me tonight."

Sky's entire body clenched a bit. "You… you want me to stay here with you… all night?" he asked. There was nothing else he's rather do than hold her in his arms all night like he had done at his house…

"Yeah… the only time I really slept through the entire night was when we were at your house… I never told you this, but I sometimes have nightmares about our battles. They can get pretty bad…"

Sky tightened his grip on her slightly and kissed her. "Of course I'll stay. But for now, you should rest. I have some paperwork to do, but I'll be back later." Syd was about to protest, but Sky kissed her gently and she slipped into a content sleep.

Hours later, Ani woke up alone. She glanced around the room and found that Jack was nowhere to be seen. With the flick of her hand, the lights went on slightly and she saw that it was passed curfew.

Her shoulder and leg were a bit sore, but nothing she couldn't handle. She was ready to go look for Jack, when he materialized in front of her, having passed through her door with his powers.

Ani jumped a little, but calmed down as soon as he sat next to her on the large bed and kissed her. Having her own room had its perks…

They broke away and Jack cupped her face. "Where were you?" she asked.

"You don't want to know," he said as he eased himself up on the bed, removing his shirt in the process. Ani scrambled up to him and crawled under the covers with him.

"Yes I do," she protested. "Jack, please?"

Jack couldn't say no to her sparkling eyes. "I went to get a drink and saw something very interesting on my way back." Ani's curiosity was getting the better of her.

"What? What was it?"

"Your brother up passed curfew... heading into Syd's room."

Ani's face broke into a wide smile. "He's clearly in violation of section 278-B in the handbook," she said mockingly.

"So are we," he said as he kissed her cheek. "We're not supposed to be in rooms with members of the opposite sex passed curfew unless we're married or have prior consent from the Commanding Officer on duty."

Ani's eyes lit up as she propped herself up on her elbow. "Did you read the handbook?"

"Every word."

Ani leaned over and kissed him gently. Jack responded to her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her onto his chest, pulling her shirt off and exposing her chest to him.

She saw the look in his eyes and grinned. "Like what you see?" she asked as she felt him shift under her, removing his boxer shorts.

"Absolutely," he responded as he pulled her onto him, their bare chests touching. Ani laughed as he trailed kisses down her neck and chest, and removed her underwear.

Ani sighed happily as he settled above her and wreaked his sweet torture all over her body, kissing her everywhere.

"I love you Jack," she said as he reached her lips. Jack grinned, sending a shiver down her spine. He leaned in and kissed her, entering her slowly.

"I love you Animaria," he whispered countless times as they made love…

Down the hall, Syd still lay fast asleep in her bed. Sky entered and grinned at the sight. He had seen Bridge and Z in his travels and, to his surprise, Bridge had asked if he would mind staying with Syd for the night…

Shaking his head at his roommate, he carefully removed his uniform jacket and pants, setting them neatly in a chair. With stealth-like moves, he carefully crawled into the bed with Syd, smiling when her body curled into him.

The standard beds weren't the biggest in the world, but he found that he and Syd fit together on it perfectly.

He kissed her lips gently and she responded softly.

Neither one was sure what happened next, but their bodies began working with minds of their own. What had started as a gentle kiss, turned into the most passionate one the two had ever experienced.

Syd was on fire as she felt Sky's hands roaming her body, stopping at her chest. Sky could feel her through the thin camisole she was wearing, but he knew he wanted more…

He removed her shirt with an animalist fury he didn't know he possessed, and stopped dead in his actions when he beheld her nearly nude form.

"God Syd," he managed to get out as he felt her remove his shirt, kissing his toned body.

Sydney grinned devilishly as she saw his rock hard abs, no doubt from his rigorous training.

They continued to explore each other and soon, they were both naked under the covers. Syd was lying underneath Sky and he paused as he took in her flushed face and tousled hair.

He ran his hand along her face as she placed her hands on his back. "Are you sure?" he asked, trembling. Syd's chest was rising fast as she tried to catch her breath.

"Yes," she whispered. "I want to do this with you Sky." She cupped his cheek. "Only you."

Sky smiled and leaned down to kiss her, entering her as his lips met hers and held.

Syd let out a gasp and Sky felt her lips contort as he filled her. Syd clung to his back as she felt the initial pain leave her.

Sky broke the kiss and was still trembling as he saw tears running down her face. "I'm ok," she said softly. She saw Sky's face and smiled. "Really, I am."

She reached up and kissed him again, softer this time and felt an extreme sensation of comfort washing over her.

They stayed like that for what seemed like hours, gently caressing and moving with each other, until Syd arched her back and let out a contented cry. Sky felt his release moments after and they both sank back down onto the bed.

Sky plopped down on his back with Syd curling up next to him. His hand was running up the length of her spine and she was doing the same to his chest.

"Wow," she said happily.

"I agree," Sky said, attempting to catch his breath. "I love you."

Syd sighed and felt sleep coming over her. "Love you," she responded as she drifted off. Sky kissed her cheek and joined her…

Everyone that night slept peacefully, not realizing that their next battle would be their last…


	17. Chapter 17

Weeks passed without incident, but Ani had the sinking suspicion that something wasn't right. They were all back at the base full time, waiting for Grumm to strike.

She and Sky talked to their father nearly everyday, but he knew they had a job to do and promised that there would be more than enough time to be a family again.

Something Lucky had said to her before they left stayed in her mind. He had mentioned having another vision of she and Sky being dragged into some kind of portal.

Her mind was all over the place and she couldn't understand why she was so scatterbrained.

The doors to her lab opened and Syd came in, clenching her stomach, moaning dramatically. Ani rolled her eyes.

"What did you do?" she asked playfully.

Syd smiled. "I'd ask your brother, not me," she joked. Ani didn't find it funny though.

"Sydney… you're not…" she trailed off. Syd's eyes got wide.

"Oh no way!" she exclaimed. "I'm on birth control silly! I just have really bad cramps… you think you could give me something to help? I have training in like ten minutes!"

Ani breathed a heavy sigh of relief and reached into a drawer, handing her two white pills.

"Geeze Syd, you scared the shit out of me!" she said as Syd took the medication. "Just the thought you and Sky… nope. Forget it… too weird."

Syd laughed and saw Ani pale suddenly. She sobered her face and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ani? What is it? Are you okay?"

Ani stared in disbelief at the calendar on her desk. "Oh my God… Syd… I… I think I'm late." Syd saw tears well up in her eyes and hugged her.

"How late?"

"Three weeks," she said softly. "Syd… what if I'm…"

Syd grabbed her hand. "Don't worry. You may just be stressed. You've been through a lot the passed few weeks. Not to mention you've been working out a lot more since you became a ranger. Your body could just be adjusting to your weight loss and muscle increase."

Ani stared at her numbly. "When did you learn all that?" she asked in shock.

"My gymnastics coach told me that when I began training for the Olympics. It happens to some female athletes. I know I was like two weeks once."

"So I may not be… pregnant?"

Before either one of them could say another word, the alarms went off and they immediately rushed off to Command with the others.

Cruger stood at his post with Kat by his side as always.

"Rangers, Broodwing's launching an attack downtown. Go!" he barked.

Ani looked to her brother and saw the instant worry in his eyes. They knew this was the beginning of the end. It made sense. Grumm had bided his time in order to launch his final attack… and he was starting with Broodwing.

"We're on it!" Jack said sternly. "Ready?"

Syd shot a glance at Ani, and the Omega Ranger sighed. Syd was worried about her, but she was soon morphing with the others, immediately heading downtown.

Jack reached the scene first, followed by Sky, Ani, Bridge, and the Girls in the jeep.

Broodwing grinned internally. This was going to be perfect…

The rangers immediately went to battle with the small army of Krybots, with Jack and Ani immediately heading towards Broodwing, weapons drawn.

Ani landed a few good hits, while Jack maneuvered behind him, firing from the opposite side. Broodwing fired something at Jack, sending him flying, landing hard, and demorphing him in the process.

Ani immediately ran over to him as Broodwing pulled something out of his robes. The others were being held back by the Krybots and watched in horror as a bright light began to swirl behind Ani and Jack, instantly pulling them inside.

"NO!" Sky and Z cried as they saw their siblings disappear.

Fury engulfed all the rangers as they defeated the remaining Krybots, charging at Broodwing, only to have him vanish.

Sky ran over to where the portal had been and pounded the ground with his fist. "Damn it!" he swore as his suite faded away. Bridge ran over with his glove off, scanning the area.

His eyes widened. "It's… it's a space portal… they could be anywhere," he said sadly. Z placed a hand on his shoulder as Syd moved to touch Sky's shoulder. He turned to her with tears running down his face.

"I promised her! I promised her I'd never let her disappear!" he screamed.

"We'll get her back," Syd soothed. "At least they're together."

And they were. Jack awoke first, his head spinning. His first reaction was to lie back down, but then he registered that he wasn't alone.

He paled when he saw Animaria lying next to him…


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: HEY EVERYONE! I WANT TO THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS! BECAUSE OF YOUR KIND WORDS AND COMMENTS, I HAVE BEEN NOMINATED

At Guardians of Earth Awards for

**Best Sequel **for **Broken Road Pt 3**

and

**Best OC & Ranger Couple In A Story **for **Ani & Jack!**

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! IF YOU FEEL THAT THIS FIC AND JACK AND ANI SHOULD WIN, VOTE!

HERE WE GO!

Jack ignored the searing pain coursing through his body as he raced over to Ani, kneeling next to her searching for signs of life. His heart was racing and his mind was a jumble as he saw that there was a small dark spot coming from her uniform… blood.

It appeared to be coming from her lower region, but he couldn't pinpoint where. He placed his hand on her face and tried to calm the panic that was threatening to rise.

"Ani?" he called urgently. "Come on, open those beautiful eyes for me," he pleaded.

Ani felt her senses returning to her and heard Jack calling for her. She felt some cramping in her abdomen, but nothing that wasn't unusual for her monthly period…

Jack sighed with relief as he felt her responding. He knew she was in pain, but she was alive.

"Where are you hurt?" he asked nervously as he saw her eyes open, flooded with tears.

Ani opened her eyes slowly and felt pain in her side. She saw that Jack was cut a little on his shoulder, and she couldn't help but see the large stain of blood on his arm.

"My ribs," she got out as she struggled to breath a little. She knew it wasn't anything broken, just bruised.

Jack took her into his arms and held her against his chest. "It's ok," he soothed as he looked around frantically for a place to shelter, and treat her. "We're going to be ok."

It was then that he saw that they clearly were not on Earth. The plant life around them was like nothing he had ever seen before. They were in a heavily wooded area, and thought he saw a small cave-like overhang just a few hundred feet away.

Ani gasped for breath as she felt the pain in her side increase suddenly. She knew she needed to get herself and Jack cleaned up, hopefully finding fresh water as well.

"Hold on," he said as he kissed her head.

He winced as he phased his hands through her, settling behind her shoulders and under her legs. He stood and picked her up in his arms. Ani could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness again; she must have had a head injury.

His mind was racing as he just about ran to the overhang…

Hours seemed to pass before Ani woke up. Her eyes fluttered open and she felt warmth on her skin. When she focused, she saw a small fire nearby as well as a makeshift clothesline where she saw her uniform pants drying.

She looked at herself and saw she had on Jack's boxer shorts, her jacket draped over her legs, his jacket thrown over her as a blanket. Slowly, she sat up and held her stomach. There was no mistaking the fact that she had finally started her period. She gave a heavy sigh of relief.

A figure sat with his back to her slightly, and she felt tears gather again.

"Jack?" she asked hoarsely, her voice raw. Jack immediately was at her side, holding her to his chest. He produced a small water canteen and helped her to drink. She drank a little and felt Jack pull her closer.

"I thought I lost you," he whispered as he kissed her head. Unsure of what to say next, he just held her as he felt her body shaking.

"Jack," she said softly.

Jack pulled her closer and kissed her gently. "You were bleeding…" he stammered as he tried to come up with some way to explain himself. He knew she was late, but wasn't sure what to say.

Ani saw his face and she sighed as sat up fully.

"You were late?" he asked. He knew he and Ani could have been more careful, but never in his wildest dreams did he think…

"I was," she said softly. "I just realized it today and was going to tell you… but as you can see, we don't have to worry about that."

Jack rubbed her back and kissed her forehead.

Jack had done what little he could. He had cleaned her up as best he could, changed her clothes, washed her old ones, started the fire, and found fresh water nearby.

"Jack?" she asked softly. "Did you… did you want a baby?"

Jack sighed. "Eventually," he said at long last.

"But not right now," she said sadly. Part of her had wished she was carrying Jack's child, but she knew in her head that it wasn't the right time for either of them to be parents.

Jack saw her face fall a little and pulled her into his lap, holding her gently against him. His ran his hand down her back and kissed her forehead.

"It'll happen for us… when we're ready," he said gently. Ani nodded against him, still feeling drained and sore. "We need to find out where we are and how to get back first.

Ani nodded and got a good look at where they were located.

It was just as any other forest on Earth, with the exception of thousands of star shaped plants…

"Wait," she said as she stood slowly, Jack following her to help her stand. "I… I know these plants." Jack could see her mind trying to work, and knew better than to interrupt her. "Star shaped flowers… Elysia," she muttered. "Jack, I think we're on Elysia."

Jack held her to his side. "Where exactly is that?"

Ani sighed. "It's in the Phyca Galaxy… even with the Megaship, it could take weeks to get back to Earth…" she trailed off.

"How can you be sure?" he questioned gently.

Ani reached down and picked up a flower. "We studied them at the Kerova Academy. They can be used in a salve for injuries if we need them."

"But why would we be put here?" he questioned. A thought popped into his head as soon as the words left this mouth. "He's splitting us up… technically between all of us, you and I are the strongest as far as weaponry and skills go."

"He saw us as a threat, meaning…" her eyes widened when she realized Grumm was going to attack the others himself…

On Earth, Sky was frantically running every search code he knew. Bridge and Z had returned to the site of the portal in hopes of Bridge getting some sort of reading. Syd was silently at her station, searching for any kind of energy reading.

The doors slid open and Sky's face paled slightly as his mother and father entered running.

"What happened?" Taylor asked sternly. "Kat said Ani's missing?"

Syd saw how nervous Sky was and took a hold of his arm. "Ani and Jack disappeared through a space portal," she said sadly. "We're doing everything we can."

Taylor looked at Eric who held her close. He was not going to let this happen… not again.

"I'm calling Andros," he said after a moment, nearly knocking over a cadet. Taylor looked at her son and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Schuyler, this is _not_ your fault," she said seriously. Sky was about to protest, but she stopped him. "It's not." With that, she followed her husband to the communications room.

Sky collapsed into a chair and Syd sat on his lap, his arms instantly wrapped around her.

"What are we going to tell them?" he asked to no one in particular.

"We're going to wait until they get back and see if things are alright," Syd said as she kissed his forehead.

"But I know they're not Syd. I felt it…"


	19. Chapter 19

Eric hung up the phone and sighed heavily, his hand covering his face. Taylor came into the communications room and saw her husband in a state she hadn't seen him in, in years. He was scared… The last time she had seen that look was when Ani and Sky had been abducted.

"Eric?" she asked softly as she entered. His head shot up; trying to hide the fact that he was terrified he would never see his daughter again. "What did he say?"

Eric stood and gathered her in his arms. "He said he's going to contact Zhane and Karone on KO-35. I'm only guessing they can contact the Galaxy Rangers to try and help."

"What can we do here?" she questioned.

"I'm taking a shuttle and going looking for her."

Taylor pulled away slightly. "Eric, you… you can't. Grumm's still out there looking for you! It could all be a set up to try and get you back!"

Eric backed away from his wife, shocked. "You seriously want me to stay here while our daughter's missing!" he shouted. Tears gather in Taylor's eyes, but she held her ground.

She walked over to him and grabbed his face in her hands. "I can't lose you again. I won't."

Eric took her hands away from him. "So you'd rather lose Ani?"

"She's not a little girl anymore! She knows how to handle herself. Not to mention Jack's with her."

Eric shook his head, still shocked that his wife would be willing to risk her daughter's life for his. "I'm going."

Taylor watched him walk away, a hurt, pissed off expression on her face. "Eric! If you leave I can't guarantee I'll be her when you get back."

Eric stopped dead in his tracks and turned to her. Her face was firm; tears falling down in large drops. He was so conflicted. He knew she was right… Ani wasn't completely defenseless… but then again, he swore to always protect his family… But Taylor… she was everything to him.

Without her, he wouldn't have the family he had always dreamed of. But he fact still remained. His daughter was missing, and he was going to do everything in his power to get her back.

He walked back to Taylor, held her tightly and kissed her. Taylor melted into him, returning the kiss.

"Let's go find her," Eric said as they walked together down to Command.

Meanwhile, Ani had changed back into her clothes and she and Jack were trudging up a hill.

"If we get to a high enough elevation, I may be able to reroute our morpher frequencies to contact the others," she said as they reached their destination.

Jack stood in awe of her. They had rested and slept a little before heading out at Ani's suggestion. She could feel Sky's worry and it troubled her deeply. She had tried to contact him, but nothing had worked. They were too far away…

Jack just watched as she popped open the back of her morpher, fiddling with the various wires, using her small pocketknife.

"Are you just going to stand there all day and watch me work?" she asked, not looking up.

Jack grinned and walked over to her. "Maybe," he said softly as he kissed her neck.

Ani smirked and closed her morpher. "None of that. You'll distract me," she said playfully as she opened her morpher and punched in a few codes. "Here goes nothing." She punched the final button, and Jack heard the familiar tones of the distress signal Kat installed in all their morphers, like an S.O.S.

Minutes passed before they heard some sort of signal back. It sounded like old Morse code, and Jack watched as Ani's eyes widened. She suddenly began punching in more codes, and they heard a crackled voice.

"Ani…aria," the voice said.

"Karone? Karone is that really you?" Ani said excitedly.

"Yes," Karone answered. "Send… coordinates… with… local…"

Jack looked at her nervously. "You know that person?"

"It's Karone Silver. She and her husband Zhane were rangers too. They looked out for me while I was on KO-35," she said as she sent them the coordinates to Elysia.

"Got it," Karone said. Ani smiled and literally jumped on Jack, who caught her easily.

"We have to get back there and stop Grumm before he launches his attack," Jack said.

"I don't think so."

Ani and Jack instantly got into fighting stances as they saw Broodwing emerge from behind a tree. "Grumm isn't the one that sent you here," he said evilly as he threw his cape off. "I wanted the pleasure of destroying you two myself."

Ani moved closer to Jack. "This is it," she whispered.

Jack looked at her and nodded. "I love you," he said as he kissed her quickly.

"Love you too," she said as they took their positions.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready."

"SPD EMERGENCY!" they called together.

Broodwing laughed to himself as they charged at him, weapons drawn. He stopped laughing though when he saw how well they worked together. Hit after hit, he felt his power draining. This was not going as planned.

Broodwing fired a few blasts at them, catching Ani in the shoulder, sending her to the ground. Jack bent down to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked nervously. Ani nodded and let him help her to stand.

"We have to break his dome," she said as she gripped her shoulder. "It'll cut off his air supply and cause him to weaken."

Jack nodded and removed his blasters from the holsters. Broodwing could only stand rooted to the spot as the dual blast of red energy hit him, shattering his protective cover.

"NO!" he screamed as his hands clasped where the shield had been.

"Ani! Do it!" Jack cried. Ani stood and opened her morpher.

"Judgment mode!" she called as the scanner changed from X to O, finally settling on X. "Guilty!"

She pulled out her blaster and fired directly at his chest. Broodwing gave one final cry before he was contained.

Jack ran over and picked up the card, securing it in his belt. Ani limped over and he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"We did it," she said happily. Jack smiled and leaned in…

"Animaria Jean Meyers! You better know that guy!"

Ani broke away. She knew that voice all too well. Jack felt his cheeks heat up as a tall man with platinum blonde hair made his way towards them.

"Zhane!" Ani cried happily as she hugged her (at one time) surrogate father. Zhane hugged her back and took a good look at her.

"You're a ranger now? Wow, guess all that training paid off," he commented. Moments later the hum of the Megaship loomed overhead.

"Zhane! Hurry up!" Karone's voice said over the loudspeakers. "We've got trouble!"

Ani grabbed Jack's hand and Jack was caught up in a teleportation beam, not used to the feeling of displacement.

As soon as his feet touched the floor of the ship, Ani had to steady him slightly.

"He's never been teleported before," she explained as Zhane walked over to a console.

"Who's your _friend_?" Zhane asked as they began a course back to Earth.

Karone lightly hit his arm. "Isn't it obvious knucklehead?" she said. "He's the Red Ranger."

"Looked like a little more than that to me," Zhane muttered under his breath. Jack caught the comment though and smiled.

"I'm Jack. Jack Landors," he said as he shook hands with Karone.

"I'm Karone, and the mouth over there is my husband Zhane. We were contacted by your father Ani, but I'm afraid they're having some problems of their own on Earth."

"What problems?" Ani asked nervously.

"Grumm's got Cruger," Zhane said. "We got confirmation about it not too long ago. When Broodwing showed up on Elysia, our sensors went off and we knew we had to get to you guys."

"Thank you," Jack said sincerely. "You got there just in time."

"We need to get you both back to Earth," Karone said. "The sooner the better."

Ani walked over to the window and Jack settled himself behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"We'll get there in time, Ani," he soothed.

Ani couldn't help the feeling of worry, undoubtedly coming from Sky. She knew he was fighting right now. She would occasionally feel slight pains, and that made her worry more.

"I hope so Jack. I really do."


	20. Chapter 20

Syd walked down to Sky's room looking for him. Ever since Cruger had been taken, he shut himself off from everyone. His sister was gone, his parents had returned to Silver Hills to round up the Guardians, and he was left alone while the others continued their search.

Bridge and Z were helping Kat and Boom in the lab, and Syd had snuck away in hopes of comforting her boyfriend.

She opened his door with the access code he had given her and walked in. The room, she found, was empty. Sky's uniform was thrown haphazardly on his bed, something he never did…

The shower was running and she smiled sadly, knowing hat he needed some way to calm himself down. Quietly, she entered the adjoining bathroom and saw his silhouette in the steam of the shower door.

"Sky?" she asked softly.

Sky leaned his head against the tile wall. "I'm fine Syd," he said, not looking over. He smelled her perfume coming through the door, and secretly was happy she had come.

The door opened and Syd entered, completely void of clothes, and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "I don't buy that for a minute Meyers," she muttered.

Sky smiled a little. "You've never called me that before," he said softly as he turned to her, holding her close against him. "You're going to ruin your makeup."

Syd kissed him. "I don't care. I care about you, and getting you out of this funk you're in. Your parents called and said the Silver Guardians are on their way here in case Grumm wants a fight."

Sky smiled. "They never could learn to let us fight our own battles," he muttered as he kissed her again. This was definitely making him feel better…

"Sky!" Bridge said as he ran into his room. Hearing the shower, he ran in.

Sky immediately shielded Syd with his body as Bridge screamed and covered his eyes.

"Sorry Syd… Sky… you guys… um, " he muttered.

"What is it Bridge?" Sky asked annoyed.

"They found Ani and Jack! Karone, something, is bringing them back!" he exclaimed.

Sky immediately shut off the shower and was ready to open the door when Syd let out a squeak. "Bridge," Sky said. "Could you leave?"

Bridge fumbled his words a bit, but left. Sky and Syd immediately got dressed and headed to Command.

Kat was there, along with Bridge, Z, and a handful of the best cadets.

"Animaria and Jack have been found," she said happily. "Commander Cruger is on Grumm's ship in a holding cell. I can't communicate with him at all."

The rangers all stood at attention. "We need to get up there and rescue him," Sky said. "The other rangers and I will go."

"What about Jack and Ani?" Bridge asked.

"If we go up there, we can get the Commander, and Jack and Ani can back us up when they return," he answered.

"But we don't know how to get there," Syd pointed out.

"I think I know someone who does," Z said. "We need to pay a visit to Piggy."

Kat sighed. "I commend your courage, but I don't think it's a good idea," she said. "Grumm will be expecting you all to rescue Doggie."

"But we're not all here," Bridge pointed out. "It'll be a surprise that he doesn't have all of us."

Kat thought for a moment before turning to them. "Go see what information you can get from Piggy. Come back here and we'll discuss what our next move will be. Fair?" she asked.

The others nodded and ran out of the room.

When they pulled up to Piggy's, they saw that the normally busy place was empty.

"Piggy!" Z called as they walked around the tables.

"Where do you think he is?" Syd asked.

"I'm right here Princess," Piggy said as he came out of his trailer. "What do you need now?" he asked annoyed.

Sky grabbed him by the jacket. "How do we get on Grumm's ship?" he demanded.

Piggy flinched and Sky tightened his grip. "How should I know that?" he asked nervously.

"Come on Piggy. We know you know how to get up there," Bridge pointed out, as the others saw that he had taken his glove off. "You must know, or else your aura wouldn't be showing that you're scared and you're lying."

Piggy took a deep breath. "All right," he said at last, as he shrugged away from Sky. "I'll tell you… but not here." He looked around quickly. "Follow me."

The others looked at each other questioningly, but followed him into the alleyway behind his trailer.

Before any of them could react, Krybots, Orange Heads, and Blue Heads appeared, capturing them, and disappearing,

Kat silently cursed as she saw the rangers leave her radar. "I knew it was a setup!" she cried. Boom looked on the monitors in front of him.

"Um, Kat? There's an unidentified craft approaching the shuttle bay," he said. Kat ran over to the monitor and straightened her face.

"That would be the Astro Megaship Mark 3," she said. "Grant them clearance and bring Ani and Jack here immediately."

Boom nodded and punched in the proper codes, and took off to greet the two remaining rangers.

Kat knew their time was running out. With the rangers and Cruger captured, Earth was defenseless. The remaining Cadets could hold their own, but not for long.

Ani and Jack ran in moments later, having heard from Boom what had happened.

"What's the plan?" Jack asked out of breath.

"We need to prepare the base and the city for an attack," Kat said calmly. "Grumm will want to attack while we're weak. We weren't expecting you two this soon, so it works better for us now."

"Yeah. Karone got us here using the light speed accelerator I developed while I was at the Academy," Ani said hurriedly as she went to a panel and began typing in a code.

Jack walked over to her and saw that she was scanning for her brother.

"Animaria," Kat began. "We've run all the scans. From what we gather, Sky and the others are on Grumm's ship… Piggy tricked them."

Jack turned to her sharply. "Piggy? Why?" he asked with venom in his voice.

"Probably for the money," Boom said as he handed Jack a data pad. "Apparently he's been on Grumm's pay list for some time… one of our cadets found some notes in his trailer."

Jack clenched his fists and dropped the pad. "I'm going after him," he said.

'_Jack, no_,' Ani said to him telepathically. Jack stopped short. Ani had never done that before.

Kat knew what Ani was up to. "We need to lure Grumm out of the ship," she began. "He knows that you both were missing because of Broodwing. The two of them have been at each other's throats for some time now. He thinks you've both been destroyed."

"Broodwing's taken care of," Jack said as he handed Boom the containment card. Boom immediately went to lock it away with the rest of the criminals, while Kat continued.

"If one of you can lure Grumm out, the other can go to the ship, rescue the others, and then returning here, full strength."

Jack walked back to Ani and took her hand in his. "I'll do it… I'll lure him out," he said softly.

Ani looked at him questioningly. "I can't let you do that," she said softly. "I should be the one to stay here. You have more SWAT experience than I do. You can go in undetected with the new flyers and-"

"I'll stay."

They both turned and saw Eric standing in the doorway, Ani immediately ran to him and he gathered her in his arms.

"I'm so glad you're safe," he said. Taylor entered a moment later, and she hugged her daughter as well.

The family turned to Jack, and Eric walked over to him, holding out his hand.

"Thank you for looking out for my daughter," he said. Jack looked at his hand and took it after a moment.

"I'd never let anything happen to her, Sir," he replied. Eric nodded and released his hand.

"Papa, I can't let you use yourself as bait," she said as she looked at her mother.

Taylor placed a hand on her arm. "I've fought with him over this already, sweetie. You, Schuyler, and the others are all in danger. We can't let anything happen to you again."

"We won't be alone," Eric said. "The Guardians are here, along with Wes, Jen, and now Karone, and Zhane. If anything goes wrong while you two are up there, we'll take care of it. Don't worry."

Ani sighed. "Are you sure about this?" she asked her parents.

"Yes," Taylor answered. "You and Jack get up there and back as fast as you can." Ani hugged her mother and Kat moved over to the monitor.

They all watched as Eric morphed into the Quantum Ranger, and ran out, Taylor close behind him…

Up in Space, Grumm looked in at the Rangers. "Pathetic," he said. "I knew Piggy would come in handy."

"You monster!" Syd cried out. Grumm laughed.

"Of course I am!" he replied.

Cruger growled. "Grumm! Let them go. It's me you want," he said.

Grumm laughed again. "But I want to see you suffer Cruger… you took something precious from me," he said as he touched where one of his horns used to be. "Now, I will take something precious from you."

Yelling could be heard coming their way and Cruger felt his heart stop as he saw who the Orange Heads were holding back.

"Isydia?" he said nervously. The canine-like woman looked up.

"Doggie?" she asked back. Cruger lunged for the door, but Grumm fired at him, sending him flying. Isydia cried out as the foot soldiers took her away.

Grumm laughed mechanically and was about to open the holding cell when he sensed someone calling him.

He pulled up an image on the screen and sneered when he saw his former warrior calling him out.

Sky felt his heart drop as he saw his father trying to save him… again.

"Come face me again Grumm! Or are you too much of a coward to finish the battles you start?" Eric taunted to the sky. Grumm's eyes glowed red.

He slammed his fist on the console and turned to Cruger. "I'll destroy him while you all suffer my wrath." As he said this, he hit a button on the console.

Bridge took his glove off and nearly fainted when he realized what was happening. Grumm vanished and Sky steadied Bridge as the vision left him.

"The ship's going to self destruct…"


	21. Chapter 21

Taylor watched the scene with baited breath; ready to go in at the first sign of danger, literally every Silver Guardian ready and waiting.

Collin was standing at her side, while Lucas was with the Guardians, along with Alec and Katie Collins. Jen and Wes were there as well waiting to help Eric at a moment's notice.

Taylor felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Collin giving her a reassuring smile.

"I have a good feeling Mama," he said softly. Taylor smiled softly and placed her hand over his smiling softly, hoping he was right.

Meanwhile…

Jack docked the SWAT Megazord near Grumm's ship, silently praying that the cloak Ani had devised would work. It had been a last minute decision on her part, not wanting to take nay more chances. They had to get everyone out before it was too late…

Inside the ship, Cruger and the B Squad were faced with number of Krybots as well as the orange heads that still had Isydia captured.

The doors to their 'cell' opened and the robots entered. Cruger pushed as many of them back as he could, ordering the others to make a run for it. The rangers refused to leave their Commander behind, and as soon as they were out, the used their various powers to fight.

Z and two of her replicants took out a group of Krybots; while Syd used a small piece of metal she had snatched from one of the dismantled lackeys to destroy more. Sky deflected several into Bridge, who easily calculated their moves and disposed of them. Cruger literally growled in anger as he easily fought off the orange heads holding his beloved wife.

He managed to get her away from them, but the robots had another trick. At the flick of their hands, more Krybots appeared.

The rangers found themselves surrounded, all gathering with their backs to each other.

"This is it," Sky said as he looked over at Syd. Bridge and Z held hands, but none of them were willing to admit defeat.

The room was suddenly filled with sparks and the Krybots all fell in various heaps. The orange heads and the Rangers all turned towards a hallway. The orange heads moved to see what was happening, but they too met their fate as dual blasts of energy hit them.

Smoke filled the room as the Rangers prepared themselves for another fight.

Ani ran in first, followed by Jack, both morphed with weapons drawn. Immediately Z ran to Jack and Sky to Ani, grabbing each in a warm embrace. The others soon followed and Cruger approached them.

"It's good to see you both," he said as he clasped their hands.

A sudden jolt caused everyone to stumble. A large explosion could be heard and they soon saw the various panels explode around them.

"We have to get out of here," Bridge pointed out. "There's not much time left!"

They all nodded and headed to the Flyers…

Back on Earth, Grumm and what remained of his robotic Army appeared before Eric.

"I knew you were a coward," he spat at the alien.

Grumm's eyes glowed. "And I knew you were weak!" He thrust his staff forward and the blast sent out hit Eric directly, causing him to flip several times in the air, landing hard.

Taylor saw this from the Command center. "All units GO!" she called over her radio. She turned to Collin. "Stay here and help Kat. I have a feeling we're going to have injuries." Collin obeyed, and ran to the infirmary.

She took a deep breath and ran down to the street. When she arrived, the joined forces of the guardians and SPD cadets were trying to hold their own against the seemingly endless arsenal of robots, but they were sorely outnumbered.

The presence of Karone, Zhane, Wes, and Jen didn't go unnoticed, and the few Orange and Blue heads that remained decided to make them their targets.

Eric had his hands full with Grumm, and Taylor did all she could to not go to him. Having returned her Morpher after Eric had been returned; she knew her presence around him would only distract him. She wasn't going to risk anything. Along with the Guardians, she fought.

A large explosion from space paused everyone momentarily and Taylor and Eric felt both their hearts constrict… the ship had been destroyed.

Grumm laughed. "You've failed! Your children are gone!" he cried. Eric was fuming and charged at him.

Grumm was knocked down as Eric nearly collapsed from exhaustion. His powers were not as strong as hey should have been, but then again he had sensed it not long after he had regained his memory.

He was hit with another hard blast and he couldn't take anymore; his suit dissolving around him.

Grumm too was weakened, but tried his best to play it off. Taylor immediately went to her husband, helping him to stand.

"You will never defeat me!" He cried as he aimed to fire again.

A blast to his arm caused him to falter and everyone turned to see the six SPD rangers approaching. Just before the ship had exploded, they had managed to find their morphers, and now they were ready for their final battle.

"Think again!" Jack cried as they all joined the battle. Grumm's eyes glowed harder as he made his way over to them.

"Stop!" Cruger called. Grumm turned and saw his long time foe.

"So it comes down to this," Grumm said as they began circling each other. Cruger morphed and faced the evil overlord. They charged at each other and fought with everything they had.

The other rangers had since destroyed every single Krybot, Orange head, and Blue head that remained. The battle had weakened them all sufficiently and they had lost their protective suits.

Sky and Ani ran to their parents. The other rangers went with them and they all watched as Cruger was fighting a losing battle.

Grumm was so full of rage and hatred, that the others had never seen him so hell bent on destroying them.

Cruger fell back into the collective group and the rangers knew they had to do something.

Working on pure instinct, the six rangers stood in front of their fallen commander. Without a second thought, they all charged at him, landing various punches and kicks, but also being tossed away from him.

They all rose and Z's eyes glowed yellow for a moment. Two copies of herself appeared and the three charged at him, landing a few good hits.

Bridge removed his glove and saw that Grumm was about to do to Z. He ran to Grumm and knocked him down with a hard kick. Grumm stumbled as Z's copies faded away and Bridge helped her to stand.

This gave Syd her chance. She pulled two pieces of iron from her belt and ran at Grumm, hitting him squarely in the chest, sending him to the ground.

Jack saw Grumm stand and charged directly at him. Grumm grinned internally as he prepared to destroy the troublesome Red Ranger, but Jack ran right through him. Catching him off guard, Jack kicked him in the back, sending him directly into one of Sky's shields.

Grumm let out a horrible cry as he was blasted backwards. The rangers regrouped and Grumm stumbled to his feet.

Without a word he raised his staff towards them, but Ani held out her hand and the staff sailed right to it.

As soon as it was in her possession, she handed it to Syd who gladly broke it in half, using her iron filled fists.

"NO!" Grumm cried as he sank to his knees. Anger filled every part of him as he still tried to fight for the takeover of Earth.

"Your time is up!" Cruger said as he joined them. "It's over!"

Grumm cried out and charged again, only to be hit by the Shadow Saber, destroying his remaining antler.

He cried out in agony as Cruger sent one final strike at him.

In a flash Grumm… the enemy they had been fighting for so long… was contained.

The Commander walked over and took the card from the ground, placing it safely in a protective case.

He turned to see his wife walking towards him. They embraced and he saw the others.

Bridge held a very tired looking Z against his chest, while Sky and Syd had their arms tightly woven around each other, and Jack had Ani securely in his arms with her head on his shoulder.

Taylor and Eric were walking hand in hand over towards their comrades and Cruger smiled.

Everything had come full circle…

A/N: SORRY FOR THE LONG UPDATE, BUT I THINK IT WAS WORTH IT, DON'T YOU?

MAYBE ONE OR TWO MORE CHAPTERS AND POSSIBLY A JACK/ANI SPINOFF…. LET ME KNOW!

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE AT GUARDIANS OF EARTH FOR JACK AND ANI!


	22. Chapter 22

"And it's with great pride that I would like to announce your official promotion to A-Squad," Cruger said as he stood in front of the rangers the day after the battle.

The Rangers all looked at each other with a knowing grin. Last night following the battle, over a few too many drinks, they had all decided that they were and would forever be, B-Squad.

Bridge stepped forward and the others smiled.

"With all due respect Sir, we've talked it over and well… we _are_ B-Squad," he said carefully. "I don't think we'll ever be anything else."

Cruger examined them all carefully. Jack stood to his immediate right, followed by Sky, Ani, Bridge, Z, and Syd. He knew that they were right. They had done everything he had asked of them and more. He had no right to deny them.

"Very well," he said smiling a bit. "There will be no rank higher than B-Squad, and no one deserves it more than you six… Dismissed!" The gathered audience, consisting of Eric, Taylor, Kat, Boom, and assorted Cadets let out a great cheer.

The six members of B-Squad all exchanged smiles and saluted Cruger. As soon as they were formally let go they all embraced each other.

Taylor and Eric descended on their children and their teammates.

"I'm so proud of you," Eric said as he embraced Sky. The blue ranger pulled back a bit and Eric saw the faint glimmer of tears in his eyes.

"Thanks papa," he whispered as he hugged him again. Taylor held Ani and they were both smiling broadly.

"You did it," Taylor said happily. "I always knew you would. You make me so proud." Ani let her tears form as her mother kissed her cheek.

The rest of the squad soon joined the happy family and Ani nearly jumped into Jack's arms.

"It's finally over," she said as she held him tighter.

"Yeah," he said softly. "It is." Ani was too excited to hear the slight hitch to his voice as he spoke the words… Jack had been waiting for this day ever since he joined SPD… the day he could leave.

But now… he had Ani… and yet he still felt like there was something else that he wanted to do…

"Jack?"

Ani's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"Are you alright?" she questioned.

"Yeah… I'm fine… Just a little tired," he replied lamely. Ani knew something was wrong, but decided not to push it.

"Well, if you want to go rest while I say goodbye to my parents…"

"No, no," he said gently. "I'll be ok." Ani again looked at him strangely, but dismissed it as they all walked Taylor and Eric out of the building to their truck.

"Tell Collin and Lucky that we'll call them," Sky said. His brothers had left following the battle; Collin with those that were injured, and Lucas with the Guardians.

"And make sure to tell Grandpa Alan that we'll be there to visit him," Ani said as she hugged her father.

Taylor and Eric got into their vehicle and headed back towards Silver Hills as the rangers watched them disappear.

"So… what exactly do we do now?" Z asked as she shared a smirk with Bridge.

"Well, considering how Cruger gave us some time off… I say we take full advantage of it," Syd said as she felt Sky's arm go around her waist. The others smiled as they headed back to their rooms to change out of their uniforms, fully prepared to get some proper rest with their significant others…

Ani plopped down on her bed, already in her sweats, when she felt the familiar presence of her twin in her head. Sky walked in and shut the door behind him.

Ani saw that he was extremely nervous looking and she could sense that something was on his mind.

"Alright," she said. "Spill it. I know something's going on."

Sky smirked and pulled a small box out of his pocket, handing it to her. "Open it, and tell me if you think I'm crazy," he said gently. Ani looked at him quizzically, but did as he said.

Her eyes widened as she saw a beautiful princes cut solitaire diamond on a platinum band.

"I hope this is for Sydney," she said in awe of it.

"You think I'm crazy for even thinking this right?"

Ani closed the box and handed it back to him. "What I think… is that you and Syd are meant to be together. There's nothing crazy about that."

Sky smiled. "I figured you were going to give me some scientific reasoning as to why this was a bad idea."

"You're a jerk," she said as she hugged him. "I just hope Sydney can tolerate a sister-in-law that's protective of her little brother." Sky released her and grinned.

"I just hope Jack and Bridge don't get any ideas," he muttered. Ani smacked his arm as he smiled and walked out to find Sydney…

Ani grinned like a Cheshire cat as she felt Sky's calm washing over her. His emotions were so light and happy and she was equally excited that everything was going right…

However, something else was nagging at her mind... Jack.

Sky was proposing to Syd tonight, Z and Bridge, she knew, were moving in together as soon as Commander Cruger approved it, but her and Jack? There was no doubt that she loved him and he her, but what was next?

She had plans for a new teleportation system as well as a time traveling portal, thanks to her Aunt Jen. Although she didn't want to admit it, she wanted to stay here at SPD until her work was finished. Would Jack want that too?

There was a knock at her door and she looked up as Jack walked through her door.

"That _does_ open you know," she said smiling as he sat with her and kissed her gently.

"I knocked first," he pointed out as he lay back on the soft white sheets. Ani smiled and cuddled up next to him. Jack kissed her forehead and ran his hand slowly up and down her back.

Ani sighed contently and kissed his chest. "What's going to happen Jack?" she questioned as her fingers flexed over his stomach.

Jack held her tightly against him. "I don't know," he said gently. "I know that I want to be with you; there's no doubt about that." He kissed her forehead and she felt eased a bit. "Cruger said he'd keep us all here together until we decide what we want."

"And you're going to stay?"

Jack had thought about this long and hard and he knew what he had decided was right.

"Yeah… I'm staying."

Ani propped herself up on her elbow and kissed him gently on his lips. "I love you," she said softly. Jack pulled her down on top of him and kissed her.

"I love you too… always."

Soon they were lost in each other underneath the sheets, but on the roof…

Sydney sat in her favorite spot as she watched the sun set. It was finally over; they were free. The feeling of complete peace and comfort filled her as she saw the city bathed in the last lights of day.

Sky stood behind her, completely lost in the image before him. Syd appeared as a goddess in the light and suddenly the question he had been feared to ask didn't seem so threatening anymore.

A set of arms wrapped around her waist and Sydney smiled as Sky's lips descended on her neck. Slowly she turned to him and their lips met gently.

When they broke apart, Sky knew it was now or never. Sydney saw a slight nervousness in his eyes, but when he slowly bent down on one knee, her left hand in his, she fought back her own nervousness.

"Sydney, I love you," he said as he pulled the box from his pocket. "Will you marry me?" He opened the box and Syd let here eyes spill over with happy tears.

"Yes," she said got out as the beautiful ring was slipped over her finger. Sky stood immediately and took her into his arms, holding her and kissing her passionately.

Sydney laughed as he picked her up and spun her around…

Down in the Rec Room Bridge was smirking as he read over a computer magazine. Z looked up at him; her head on his lap.

"What?" she asked. Bridge placed the magazine down and leaned over to capture her lips with his.

"I think we're going to be at a wedding soon," he said. Z's eyes widened and she sat up immediately.

"What? Bridge… what are you trying to say?" Bridge smiled. The idea of marrying Z hadn't slipped his mind, but not yet…

"Sky just proposed to Syd… and I'm pretty sure she said yes." Z let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding.

"How do you know?" Bridge pulled her into his arms.

"He told me he was going to, and form the amount of positive energy I'm feeling, I think it's safe to say that." Z smiled as she sank into his embrace. Hopefully soon they would be in the same boat…

1 YEAR LATER…

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. Schuyler Meyers!" the DJ said over the speakers of the large hall.

Everyone in attendance cheered as Sky and Syd entered the room laughing. Jack and Ani, and Bridge and Z showered them with rose pedals as they walked to the head table.

Eric, Taylor, Syd's parents, and the rest of their assorted friends and family all cheered along as the wedding party took their seats.

Ani sat in between Sydney and Jack, while Bridge sat between Z and Sky on the other side. Both girls were both in muted shades of pink, while the guys were in simple black and white.

Jack grinned as Z was showing off her new engagement ring to Sydney, Bridge had proposed a week earlier, but only yesterday had given her a ring that he had made himself. It was a joint effort between him and Boom.

It was a thin white gold band with a green titanium line looped with a yellow one all the way around. A small stone was placed in the center of the band; it was simple and elegant… just like Z.

Ani kissed his cheek and got up to admire it. Jack seemed a little on edge. Sky looked over to him and knew the look all too well…

"So when exactly are you going to ask my sister?" he questioned. Jack looked startled but grinned a little.

"Later tonight… I think," he said nervously. Sky grinned. As much as he hated to admit it, he had grown to respect and care about Jack as a brother. He knew that he would take care of Ani.

Sky clapped his hand on Jack's shoulder. "Just remember what I said… you hurt her and you'll regret it." He said. Jack smiled and moved over as Ani took her seat next to him.

"Having some quality conversation with my darling baby brother?" she asked sweetly. Jack grinned and wrapped his arm around her. He kissed her gently and she smiled.

The rest of the evening was a blur to the newly married couple as well as their guests. Before they knew it, Jack and Ani were walking into Jack's quarters back at the academy.

Sky and Sydney, as well as Bridge and Z had been given apartments in the SPD building, but Jack and Ani still had their separate quarters, though they never spent their nights alone.

Ani retreated into the bathroom to remove her dress, while Jack stripped down to his boxers and undershirt.

He heard water running, and carefully went to his dresser to retrieve the one thing he had left from his parents… his mother's diamond. It had been one of the few things left with him when his parents went away; the other being a framed picture of the three of them shortly after he had been born.

Opening a drawer, he removed a small box and opened it, revealing a brilliant princess cut diamond with two tiny diamonds flanking it embedded into the white gold band.

The door opened and Jack quickly put the box behind his back. Ani smirked as she leaned up against the doorframe in nothing but a short, white robe.

Jack was rendered speechless for a few moments and she reveled in the fact that she could do this to him. Not that him standing in his boxers had no effect on her…

A smile crept across her face as she walked over to him, slipping her arms around his neck and kissing him softly.

"What are you hiding behind your back?" she whispered into his ear, sending a delicious shiver down both their spines.

Jack smiled as he kissed her again. "You'll see," he said as he kissed her neck. Ani grinned and pulled his white shirt over his head, exposing his chiseled upper body. Jack still held the box in his hand and she tried to reach around him to get it.

"Come on," she nearly whimpered. Jack fought every urge in his body to take her right there, but knew he wanted to do this…

"Alright," he said as he barely touched his lips to hers. Ani smiled as she prepared for her surprise… what Jack did next definitely surprised her.

Jack kneeled in front of her and opened the box. He took the ring out and took her left hand in his. "Animaria… I love you with all my heart… will you marry me?"

Ani was rendered speechless for perhaps the first time in her life. Jack placed the ring on her finger and she nodded slowly before she could answer.

"Yes," she said at last.

Jack rose and held her as tears fell onto his skin. "I love you," he said as he kissed her, wiping away her tears.

"I love you," Ani replied as she kissed him passionately. Jack untied her robe and pushed it off her shoulders, kissing the new skin exposed to his eyes. The robe was on the floor and Ani was soon in Jack's arms as she was lowered onto the bed.

Jack removed his boxers and lowered himself onto her soft body. Jack reached into his nightstand drawer and removed a package. Ani removed the package from his hands, and slowly covered Jack with the thin sheet of latex.

Ani sighed as Jack filled her in more ways than she could explain. As they moved their bodies in time with each other, they both knew that this was the way it was going to be forever.

After a small lifetime, Ani felt her climax, followed almost immediately by Jack's. Jack rolled off her and disposed the latex into a trashcan nearby. Ani whimpered at the sudden loss of heat, and Jack pulled her against his chest.

As they felt sleep take them, they both sighed happily knowing that tomorrow was a whole new day, and that everything they had been through had been worth it.

All the trials and tribulations that they, and their families, had gone through had led up to this moment; this perfect moment where nothing mattered but the love that they shared.

'_God blessed the Broken Road that led me straight to you…'_

THE END

A/N: YEAH! THE TRILOGY IS FINISHED, AND I JUST WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE READ, REVIEWED, NOMINATED, AND VOTED FOR THIS STORY! YOU ARE THE REASON I WRITE!

STAY TUNED FOR A JACK/ANI SEQUAL. SYD/SKY AND Z/BRIDGE WILL BE THERE TOO!

THANKS!


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